


Of Blood and Sword.

by Shaalara



Category: The Legend of Zelda & Related Fandoms
Genre: Ganon is a vampire AU, Hopefully it's ok, M/M, first fanfic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-09-16
Updated: 2016-03-02
Packaged: 2018-04-21 01:48:10
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 18
Words: 26,534
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4810283
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Shaalara/pseuds/Shaalara
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Link and Ganon's fate to meet with each reincarnation cannot be changed. It is one of the inevitability of the world, whether the two of them wish for it or not.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> My very first try at a fanfics. I hope you like it :)

Prologue

  
He had woken up. Once again, he had woken up. He looked around. His room was as he had left it. His coffin was sitting in the middle of the white furry carpet that he hated. How many times had he thought about throwing it away just to be stopped by the memory of the smile that forced him to get it. _“It makes it easy to know which one is yours”_ Had he said. It was cheaper than buying a special coffin, not that he was short of money in any way.

The red curtains were drawn, but it was easy to tell that it was night time. It was impossible that he would wake up during the day. A ray of moonlight formed a white line on the empty wall facing him, just as empty as the room around him. He always thought that it was way too big for a simple coffin and a carpet.

There was a time where it felt small, but whenever he was alone, he felt the imposing empty space to be suffocating. He headed to the double wooden door that lead to the corridor. The windows of the long alleyway faced the forest behind the mansion. He noticed a small garden before the uncontrollable sea of trees took over on the mountain. _It looks like my new attendant is an adept gardener_. He would meet them soon enough. Having evidently sensed his presence upon his awakening, he could feel a presence going up the stairs on the right.

‘Did you have a nice sleep Master Ganon?’ After the attendant finished bowing, he was able to clearly see the new face that would hover around him until the time came again. The man had white hair even though he looked to be only over twenty years old. He wore a white suit with a red cloak that rose and covered the back of his neck, yet he chose to wear purple make-up under his black eyes. A fashion sense that Ganon had a hard time understanding.

‘Why the cloak?’ He asked.  
‘Because it looks FABULOUS!’ His attendant said as he flicked it behind him with his left arm.  
Noticing that his master was not impressed, he suddenly came to a realisation.  
‘Oh, but listen to me. I’m being positively uncivil. Allow me to introduce myself. I have been tasked of attending to your needs by my predecessor. I am Ghirahim. My friends call me **Lord Ghirahim**.’

Feeling too lethargic to pick up on his attendant’s behaviour Ganon preferred to satisfy his curiosity.

‘What year is it?  
-1978 sir.’

1978\. So he had slept for 243 years. It was shorter than the last sleep. Humans seemed to be reproducing faster and faster as time went on.

‘Tell me about the times. I need to be able to fit in.’ As he walked confidently towards the eastern stairs, he wobbled slightly. This didn’t go unnoticed by his attendant.

‘Perhaps you would like to have a meal before we talk ? I have prepared one according to the notes that my predecessors left for me. I hope it suits your taste.  
-Very well. I expect all my suits un dusted and one of them ready for me to wear when I am finished.’

Leaving no time for Ghirahim to respond, he headed to the basement. True to the rest of the manor, the basement boasted a very high ceiling and vast space. There were no rooms. Instead, small areas were separated by metal bars. Each individual area was fitted with hay. By the smell, it was obvious that it was fresh. His attendants never let the hay grow old. Except for the ones forming a line in the middle of the area, each cage had one wall equipped with a small barred window facing the outside. It was always amusing to see the look on the face of the livestock as they stared at the freedom that they could never hope to achieve again. Today’s meal was no exception. Hiding his presence, Ganon observed the young boy as he sat, lifeless.  
Ghirahim had done well to cater for his taste. Ganon had acquired a special preference over the years, and as time passed, the less he could be satisfied by anything else.  
_Young boy. Blonde. Blue eyes. Pierced ears._  
These were the requirements so that he could fully enjoy a meal.  
Suddenly, a wave of thrill surged throughout his body.

_The boy had noticed him._

He had noticed him and was trembling in fear. The vampire dug his fingers into his arms while staring at the fear taking over inside the boy’s eyes. _This is it. I’ve missed this._

The prey was already caught. All that it could do was look at his impending doom, unmoving. As soon as he noticed that someone else was in the room he knew that it was useless to ask for help. He could see a smile gradually forming on the face of the man that leaned against the wall. His blood coloured hair was pulled back with a golden head band which oddly didn’t clash with his black suit. He tried to stop looking into his eyes but was unable to control his fixation of their unworldly colour.

Ganon took one step and stopped. The boy’s entire body shook along with the movement of the master’s feet and froze as he stopped. Pleasure built up inside of the predator as he took another step and got the same reaction. Unable to hold back a smile, his sharp canines were now visible, letting the prey finally able to picture its end. It closed its eyes as it let its head fall back and tears fall out of its eyes.

_‘What a bad boy, closing your eyes at such a crucial moment.’_

In the fraction of a second Ganon had come next to the boy and was whispering in his ear. He forced one eye open with his fingers. Once he had established eye contact, his red irises began to glow so that the colour almost merged with his golden pupils. Now, it was impossible for the boy to close his eyes. He had to look straight into the eyes that filled with joy as his filled with fear. The difference in height was such that his captor could keep eye contact while his teeth were teasing the nape of his frail neck.

On.

Off.

On.

Off

The teasing lasted for two minutes. Two minutes of fangs being almost pushed through the flesh, then taken away. Unable to take it anymore, the young boy cried in desperation.

'Just...Get it over with already.’ he managed to articulate. He had lost his humanity. He had been reduced to a toy. A simple toy who had no more control over his end and could only wait for the inevitable.

Ganon smiled. He loved this moment. The moment when the prey realises that they have lost all control, where they left him in charge of the most important thing that a life form can possess. Their very own life. Unable to control his hunger after his long slumber, he dug his fangs into the delicate neck that was presented to him, and sucked out all the blood that the young body could offer. Energy rushed through his body as the corpse in front of him shrivelled. The moon, continuing it’s celestial course, was facing the small window, shining it’s subtle light on the blood stained lips of the vampire.

He stood, and walked towards it, thinking of the world outside of the manor, the world that he was in. They would meet again. It was a fate that neither of them could change if they wanted to.

‘Hurry up and find me.’

‘Link.’


	2. Who is he?

The world was spinning around him. He was in a thick forest, unable to determine his position. A voice was calling out his name. It was a voice he had never heard before, but it felt familiar. He had been waiting for this voice. Had he? He didn’t know. Something inside of him was drawn to it.

He was awoken by the ringing of the telephone. That was when he realised that he had fallen asleep on the sofa of his office again. These days, he seemed unusually tired all the time. Renowned for being a sleepy head on every normal day, nobody else seemed to pay notice to this weird increase, but it kept bothering him.

He picked up the phone, and as he did, the voice on the other end didn’t even wait for the usual two taps that showed that he was listening, Ruto immediately started her unending rambling.  
'How long do you think I’ve been trying to reach you!? I tried your home phone a dozen times before trying out your work phone. I should’ve known better! You were asleep on your sofa again weren’t you ? Typical. Do you even know what time it is!? If this continues you’ll be late for the meeting in the forest temple! You better be here in less than half an hour! Is that understood?’

Link tapped: three units, one unit, three, three, blank three: Y  
one unit, blank three: E  
one, one, one, blank: S

‘Good. See you there.’ She hung up.

He wished that she would stop calling to wake him up. It was understandable that he had some of the blame for being late, but he didn’t like talking by phone. It was hard to communicate his emotions and intentions and morse was a pain to tap on the receiver. He envied other people. Those who could call out to others and easily communicate. It had become an everyday thing, and used to not bother him at all, but for some reason, he could talk in the dreams that he had kept having recently. This phenomenom brought out suppressed feelings of inferiority that were buried a long time ago.

In the dreams, he could talk, laugh, sing, call out. He shared stories with someone precious to him. They made jokes together, they shared their feelings, only to be faced with reality upon his awakening. Grunts were the best that he could muster. His close entourage got used to it but having to explain it to every new person was tedious, thus why he often let Ruto do most of the talking, though he often wondered if he made the right choice in this arrangement.

He looked around his office. It was messy. Having fallen asleep holding the paperwork of the case that he had just finished, he had to keep his feet up and pick up the pieces of the white paper carpet before setting foot on the ground to avoid ruining the documents. The amount of papers was unbelievable, even though his job was simple monster slaying, it was always amazing to see how much paperwork people liked to use for the smallest little details. He was tempted to clean up. He wondered if he should succumb to this need to tidy up whenever one was faced with a task that he did not want to pursue, but knowing Ruto, the price for that would probably be his head. And so he chose to keep his head.

Half an hour later, he arrived at the forest temple. He never understood why this place was called a temple. The only two things that he could see were the castle-like mansion of Ruto’s family facing a hill and the imposing Deku Tree. The tree was supposed to be sacred but he never really payed much attention to it, he didn’t really care. Right now he was more preoccupied with the angry lady stomping her right food with crossed arms. She was wearing a navy blue ensemble with a simple shirt and bell-bottomed trousers. She had a habit of matching everything to her outfit, today was no exception, a Navy blue wide hat covered her medium black hair and a same coloured handbag completed her look of the day.

As soon as he entered her field of vision, he was given _the stare_. The signal that her patience was nearing her limit and that running was now his only option.

‘Don’t you dare trip and mess up that new suit I bought you for this occasion.’ she said with the same intensity that she showed with her eyes.

He would’ve liked to respond angrily to this comment but he perfectly knew that his clumsiness had caused more than one problem to Ruto in the past, so he just kept on running while paying a bit more attention. Today was a special occasion...of some sort. Ruto’s family had many underground contacts with the world of monster hunting, and for the first time in centuries, they had issued a job request. Only the best hunters were allowed to audition for the task. The young daughter had begged day and night to allow Link to participate. He couldn’t care less about the job, but when he saw the sparkle in his partner’s eyes when she read the description, he knew that he wouldn’t be able to get away.

After Ruto rushed him in, they arrived into the main hall, where about thirty other hunters stood in wait. The Master of the house quickly glared at the latecomers from his standing half-way up the stairs to the first-floor before commencing his speech.

‘I thank you all for coming. I will be blunt. If any of you are afraid of death, this is the moment to leave. No one here will judge you for protecting your own life.’

Everyone in the crowd looked at each other, but none left the ranks.

‘Your resolution is admirable. I hope that none of you regret it in the future. I will ask you to bear with me as I tell you a story.  
Long ago, there was an existence that surpassed all evil. A vampire with unmatchable strength, and unmatchable appetite. Fear was his greatest reward. He would toy with villages and armies as though they were children and slowly savour them as his reign of fear grew exponentially. The world fell into chaos. People could do nothing but pray for a hero to stand up and save them.

One day, a sword appeared. Forged by the three goddesses reigning in the light realm. On it’s pedestal was written:

 

 _The Hero's Triumph on Cataclysm's Eve,_  
_wins three Symbols of Virtue._  
_The Master Sword he will then retrieve,_  
_keeping the Knights' line true._

One hero gathered the three pendants required for the liberation of the sword, and, to the eyes of all men, he gained ownership of it. The Master Sword was the only thing that had enough power on this earth to be able to seal the evil power, and so it did. The Hero faced the evil. After decenies of keeping it away from the world, he finally sealed it away, using his own life force. Unfortunately, the seal did not last forever, and the evil came back many times, but every single time, the reincarnation of the hero took arms and sealed the evil in the same manner.

Now, the evil is back, and more than ever, we need a hero. As you may know, our family is well know for our prophesying skill. Before any of you were even born, it was fate that the reincarnation of the hero would be amongst the ranks that now stand before me. Unfortunately, it is impossible for us to determine exactly who he is. Which is why we have called you here for a test.

The Master Sword is near. It will call out to it’s rightful master in due time, and only he will be able to find it’s pedestal. You have a week. You may search the entire area around the mansion and over the hills. Any person who cannot find it in due time will be kindly asked to leave.

Any questions?’ he asked.

One of the hunters raised his arm.

'Yes?  
-You talked of an 'evil’. Can we get any precision on what it is exactly?  
-I am sure you have heard of him. Whether it be in your textbooks or through your masters. He is the greatest vampire to have ever walked the earth.’

‘Ganon.’

_Ganon._

_Ganon._

The name echoed inside of Link.

 _Ganon_.

He knew that name. Did he see it in a textbook? No. It was much more personal. His heart beat started rising. The right corner of his mouth rose up, forming a crooked smile that he could not control.

Ganon.

He seemed to not be the only one to recognise that name. Many of the hunters trembled in fear as they repeated the name inside their heads.

 _“What did I get myself into”_ Thought one of them.

 _“This isn’t worth paying off my debt. Shit, I’ve been roped into something horrible.”_ Thought another.

“ _So I have to look for a sword so I can let myself be killed by Ganon? No way.”_

What had briefly sounded to be a fun exploration mission, turned into what seemed like a Russian roulette, with the bullet being the sword.

Ruto, feeling the unease floating in the room, grabbed a piece of her partner’s sleeve.

‘Hey Link-’ She stopped as she looked at the happy expression that shone on Link’s face.

‘Why are you smiling!?’

Link turned towards her. Was he smiling? He couldn’t tell. Why would he be smiling? He didn’t know. Picking up on the confusion now invading her partner’s expression, she became filled with unease.

_He was slipping away._

She didn’t know why, or how. She just knew. If they stayed here any longer, he would slip away from her. She would loose him.

‘You are now dismissed.’ said the Master before heading up the imposing stairs.

‘Let’s go!’ She said as she dragged Link towards the exit.

  
Back at the office. Link immediately reached for the books that weighed down on his cheap bookshelf. Ruto forcibly closed the cover as he got closer to the “Vampire” section of his monster encyclopedia.

‘You’re not seriously considering it are you?’

Link looked at her, confused. _You were the one who wanted to do this_. He signed.

‘I didn’t know it would be this dangerous. And then you...!’

Without finishing her sentence, she just stared at her partner, looking as confused as he always did.

_You went and made that face._

Her tone got softer. ‘Hey Link. We’re still engaged, right?’

Linked smiled, mimicking a laugh as much as he could while signing: ‘Yeah, yeah. And then we’ll live in a white house with three dogs and a cat.’

She lowered her head and turned away. ‘Yeah...That’s right.’ She knew that she was the only one holding onto that proposal from their childhood, but she still had hope, somewhere in her heart. It was that hope that allowed her to stay by his side all those years without too much pain. She wasn’t ready to let it go yet.

‘Promise me to go home tonight! And no sniffing around about Ganon!’

Link raised his right hand straight for an “I swear” motion. Slightly relieved, Ruto left her partner in his office. He patiently waited until the sound of the footsteps had left the corridor before un-crossing the fingers of his left hand that he had kept behind his back. _Sorry. But I’ve got to know why this feels so familiar._ It was obvious that a silent apology wouldn’t solve anything, but it was better than nothing to him. Ruto had stuck with him ever since they were kids. She was the closest friend he had. He didn’t understand why she had suddenly changed her mind, but this was the one time that he wouldn’t listen to her. No. He _couldn’t_. The more he thought about the situation, the more space it took over in his mind.

He spent the next hours until dusk studying all that he could about vampires. That wasn’t right. The right term would be _“remembering”_. Each line jogged his memory a bit more. Why? He looked for his answers in the numerous books until sleep took over while he sat at his desk.

 


	3. What lies beyond the Tree.

It was Wednesday today, one of the business days at the office. The arrangement for those days was simple. Ruto would sit at the office to welcome any clients who had issues with monsters and sort requests while Link would stand to the side, usually polishing his sword and demonstrating his skills to any doubting mind. The clock was showing 11:30. Even for her partner, that was too tardy. She called his home phone.

One time.

Two times.

Three times.

Feeling uneasy, she started pacing around before a client intruded in her internal monologue.

Dealing with monster extermination, it wasn’t unusual to welcome very particular customers, but this one was especially unusual. His face was covered by a purple rabbit hat that boasted long, straight ears. He wore a matching robe with a brown belt mounted with a rupee and a blue scarf which rested on his neck and shoulders, without making a full turn, and reaching almost all the way down to his feet.

Putting on a business smile to try and distract herself from the sight she welcomed the client inside the office.

‘Welcome, what can I do for you?’

Without sparing a glance at the young woman, he, was is a he or a she? she couldn’t tell, simply looked around the room.

‘Where is your partner?’ it was a he.  
‘He’s out on business right now.’ She said. It was the usually excuse that she would use whenever Link was late.  
‘Have you ever dealt with vampires ?’ he asked. Ruto became uneasy. Vampires were not what she wanted to think of right now.  
‘I’m afraid not yet. Does it have something to do with why you came to see us?’ She could see a shadow of a smile behind the teeth of fabric that hid the man’s mouth.  
‘You could say that.’ He rustled through the pockets of his robe to bring out a business card.  
‘Please pass it on to Link. Tell him that my shop is always open for him.’  
Before she could say anything, he had already walked out. She looked out of the window to see him casually walking away, joined by a white bird, well probably a bird for most people, Ruto could see that it was a Lunae. A bird like creature that possesses great intelligence which mimics, and can often take the appearance of, it’s owner. These were extremely rare. Even for a prestigious family such a hers, they were a luxury. She glanced at the business card.

 _Ravio’s shop._  
_Need hero supplies? we have them all!_

“Hero”. This word brought back unwanted feelings from yesterday. She tore up the small purple card into four and threw the pieces into the bin. Link was no hero, and she didn’t want anything to make him try and get involved in any of that stuff. The clock rung the twelve strokes of noon, but Link was nowhere to be seen. From her seat on the desk, she noticed the bookshelf to the left. It was a huge mess, like everything was when Link stayed in the office too long. If he were here she would nag him to clean it up, and he would reluctantly do as he was told, like he always did. She stood up again and started arranging the shelf so that it could follow even the most approximate of orders. It was better than sitting around doing nothing. Some bits of colours stood out inside the sea of books. Stickers? She didn’t remember book marking anything, and she was the one who usually used the books. Fear weighted down on her as she slowly put the pieces together.  
_Vampires. Seals. Familiars._

_Ganon._

She rushed out, ran through the corridor, down the stairs and out of the building. She reached the river, a few hundred meters to the right. She dove into it. Her skin turned blue and her feet turned to fins. As a Zora, seas and rivers were her playground. Her family mastered the art of disguising as humans, but being in her normal form was much more comfortable. All rivers in the area had underwater tunnels connecting to the forest temple, a way to ensure a secure escape in times of need. She followed the route she knew too well, questioning the entire situation.  
Link had never disobeyed her. Maybe because he felt some gratitude towards her for getting him an office and helping him. No. Even before they became adults and she followed him around she had a way of making him do whatever she wanted. She thought that it was because, in a small corner of his heart, he loved her.

But now he had.

He had gone off on his own. Leaving her behind.

 

Shock would be a small word to describe what she felt arriving at the temple. The great Deku Tree was gaping wide open, showing the entrance of an underground passage. She knew that Link had gone through this way before her. And so she went down into the great Tree.

Link’s reaction to the opening of the Deku Tree was not far away from Ruto’s. When he had woken up at his desk at seven in the morning, he knew that he would not be able to act innocent in front of his partner for too long, and had decided to go into the forest near the temple to clear his head. He wandered around until eleven, secretly hoping to stumble upon the mystical sword that he had heard about. He had never seen it, but an image of it floated in his head. The blue helm that perfectly fit his hand, the wing like decorations, the unusual blade shape on which was carved the symbol of the goddesses. He realized that it was eleven o’clock when he heard the chime of the church bells. I should probably go back to the office, hopefully I won’t get too much of a lecture.

He headed towards the Deku Tree. It wasn’t the shortest way back, but as much as he told himself that he should go back soon, the inevitability of Ruto’s lecture made him want to draw it out as long as possible. The closer he got, he could feel uneasiness growing inside of him. A very strong presence was near. The barrier around the temple was a powerful one, and stopped any evil presence from even knowing the existence of this area, so this presence should have been a soothing one. It should have been. As the distance between them shortened, Link realized the reason why this presence felt ominous.

_The thirst for blood._

What was over there was a plain thirst for blood.

He arrived in front of the Deku Tree. He was positive that the presence came from inside the tree. Had it been corrupted? But there was no visible sign of it. As he touched the wood to investigate, a voice flowed into his head. it was a deep, gentle, very nostalgic voice.

_‘Link...._   
_Welcome._   
_Listen carefully to what I am about to tell thee. Thy slumber these past moons must have been deep and full of unusual dreams._   
_The time has come to test thy courage._   
_What is rightfully yours is waiting in the heart of the temple._   
_Thread carefully as the great evil has awoken.’_

The voice faded, leaving the Deku Tree open silently. When the opening reached him, he felt an enormous wave of blood thirst wash over him. He was now able to feel the full extent of the presence he had previously sensed, compared to when it had been contained inside the temple. _So this is what I’m up against, heh_. Any normal hunter would have fled when faced with this much overwhelming power, including him. If this was any other creature’s presence, he would have fled, but all that could do right now was smile as he threaded inside the underground tunnel. All the Deku babas, usually harmless, found in the tunnel, started attacking him, most likely gone mad from being exposed to the thirst for too long. At the end of the underground path was a stone temple, equally filled with mad monsters. Cutting his way through, he finally arrived to a large room consisting solely of a pedestal, a sword, and a vampire.

The vampire stood silently, watching the hunter as he approached the room. Wondering how he should talk to the stranger, he looked for a note pad inside of his bag.

‘Oh please, do you really think that I don’t know sign language?’

Startled, Link stopped rummaging around in his bag and started signing.

 _I know you, don’t I?_  
‘Oh? It looks like you’re getting your memories back pretty quickly this time. I hope I’ll still have time to have my fun before you do.’

As he finished his sentence, five Bokoblins appeared from the entrance of the room. Link engaged them in a fight while Ganon watched, seemingly enjoying the show. The monsters were nothing to the hunter who fended them off quite easily. He ended up without any injuries, except for one.

A single scratch on the right side of his neck let out a small drop of blood, which ran down to his collar bone.

Seeing a glimpse of the familiar blood flowing was enough for Ganon’s eyes to react, and, before Link could blink, he was pushed up against the wall. The vampire licked the red liquid, mustering all of his self-control to stop himself from biting. The hunter shuddered from the sudden wet sensation on his neck. Ganon raised his head slightly so that his mouth nearly touched the young man’s ear before whispering, almost sweetly.

_'Hurry up and remember.’_

Immediately after ending the whisper, the vampire vanished into smoke, leaving a confused Link slowly sliding down the wall as all strength was leaving his legs.


	4. Ruto's resolve

Ruto walked past the dead bodies of the many monsters in the tunnel. She stopped to examine the first one that she saw. It was cleanly cut, straight to the weak point. The creature probably didn’t suffer. Link had this way of fighting, instinctively, but with amazing technique and precision. She remembered how surprised she had been when he killed his first monster; as if he had done it for hundred of years.

_‘Reincarnation’_

Her father had said that the hero was reincarnated. The greatest fighter. That would explain his pro-like technique as a beginner. As much as she hated it, all the pieces were starting to fall together. He wasn’t hers to keep, and she hated that.

She arrived at the last room of the temple. It looked empty. She looked around to find Link on the ground with his back against the wall to her left, next to the entrance. He didn’t see her. His gaze was fixated towards the opposite wall while his left hand covered a part of his neck. He wore that same confused expression that she loved so much, but it was different from usual. Something was added to it. It wasn’t only confusion that showed on his flushed face.

_Just what happened in this room?_

She clenched her fists, creating marks that she didn’t know would stay visible for a week, and called out to him.

‘Link!’

The hunter jumped. When he saw the face of his friend, he came down back to earth. He took his hand away from his neck, it was covered in blood. _Anticoagulant._ He had read that a vampire’s saliva was a natural one, to allow for easier drinking of the blood. It had to be stopped, somehow. He looked around the room. The midday sun, coming through a crack above the pedestal, made the blade shine brightly. Link stood up and walked towards it. Why? He didn’t know, he didn’t care. He grabbed the grip of the blade, feeling the familiar sensation of the worn leather. The sword easily slid out of the pedestal, exerting a weight that the holder’s arm was used to. He spun it around and pointed it towards the light.

Ruto stared at the painting-like sight that her friend formed before her. She had seen this sight before, in her father’s office.   
‘That’s the legendary hero.’ He had said to the six years old little girl. ‘He rises every time the world needs him. He is the only one that can perform the dangerous ritual to seal the great evil. It’s our job to protect him until he performs it.  
-What happens afterwards?’ she had asked.  
‘Then his soul returns to the sacred realm, waiting for his next reincarnation.’

Her father had used pretty words but she knew what he meant. When the Hero performed the ritual, he died. It was a common story. One dies so that many others can live. ‘Hero’ was just a fancy term for sacrifice. She saw the blood stop flowing as her friend took the sword. His wound was probably healed by the blade. If he was indeed the hero, then she would protect him at all costs, but not in the way that others might want her to.

‘Link. Put the sword down.’

He looked at her, asking why with his expression. She gradually moved closer.

‘If you don’t put it down right now I’ll-’ She stopped. The point of the Master sword was centimeters away from her neck.

She kept her poker face while Link looked at her with pleading eyes.

‘You’re going to die. You know that don’t you?’

He nodded.

‘Then why!?’ She had started screaming. All the pent up feelings were starting to flow out.   
Link’s free right hand went over his chest and formed circles in a clockwise motion. She didn't want to recognise that sign.

_Please._

She didn’t know why he was so attached to this ‘Hero’ play, but she wouldn’t have it. She had to get him to stop.

‘Either you put that down, right now, or you walk out of this room knowing that you’ll never see my face again.’

She could see the shock on his face. She felt guilty of the joy that she felt knowing that she still had an impact on him.

‘I’m not going to watch you go to your death.’

Link lowered the sword. Were his feelings worth losing his best friend?

He caught a glimpse of the corpse of a monster outside the room. This was only the beginning. The madness would spread and spread until it became uncontrollable.

_I’m the only one who can do this._

He picked up the scabbard from behind the pedestal and strapped it to his back after having sheathed the Master sword. He didn’t look at her. He knew that he would give in if he did. Calmly, he walked away, through the exit towards the temple. Leaving behind an unmoving Ruto, with tears streaming down her cheeks.

********

Ghirahim was tending to the garden when he felt Ganon’s presence appear in the main hall. He transported to meet his master and immediately noticed that something was wrong. Ganon was panting heavily, his eyes were reacting uncontrollably and it was obvious that he found it hard to stay standing.

‘I assume you’ve prepared some more prey.’ He said, trying to act as composed as he could.   
‘Yes, I have but-.’ Ghirahim didn’t have time to finish his sentenced before the vampire stormed out, heading to the basement. The young man sitting in the cage didn’t have anytime to see him coming before the vampire passed through the bars and latched on to his prey’s neck. In a few seconds, all of the blood was drained from the lifeless body, and Ganon could breathe a sigh of relief. Still sitting, his back hit against the bars as he looked out the window. It had been a long time since he had seen a young Link. He found it amusing to see each of his reincarnations grow, especially when he knew how he would turn out. He himself didn’t age. The only notion of time he had, was when Link’s body changed over the years.

He went up the stairs and to the 1rst floor. The room next to his. It was smaller, or maybe it just seemed so with all the furniture present. Ghirahim must have cleaned it thoroughly as there was no sign of dust anywhere, but there were no sheets on the bed either. He sat on the tiny bed, his hands clasped together. Every cycle, he wondered if his memory was real; if he didn’t just dream it all. What if, even if it all was real, Link never remembered? No. He did already start to remember. Everything was going to be fine...

The vampire caught a glimpse of himself in the mirror hanged on the wall opposite him. It made him realise that he was in his physical form. _Old habits die hard it seems_. He took a closer look at himself. There he was, sitting on a human bed that was much too small for him with his hands together wearing a longing expression. _Is this what I’ve turned into? Pathetic._

Ghirahim’s knock on the door brought him out of his thoughts.   
‘What is it?  
-With all due respect, if you need any help on bringing down this ‘Hero’, I’m sure that, being me, I could easily make his ears bleed with his own screams if that is what you-’

His head got smashed against the mirror before he could blink. Ganon was holding him up by his neck, wearing an expression that he had never seen before. An expression of rage. The fiercest he’d ever seen.

‘If you touch, even a single hair that belongs to him, I will cut you open and feed your insides to the preys. Is that clear?’

The servant nodded, fully knowing that he would lose his life right this instant if he didn’t. The vampire stormed out, leaving Ghirahim to clean up his own blood all over the wall and the floor. _This is how the great vampire should be_. A smile grew on the servant’s face as he made a bucket and brush appear. _I will bring you back to your former glory. Just wait..._

 

********

 

  
The bell rang as the door opened. A man in his thirties with dark skin walked through and started looking around the shop. Ravio came out of the back room, dressed in the same outfit that made his pride.

‘A warm welcome to you Mr. Customer! What can I do for you?’

He ran a crafts shop. From shoes to accessories to clothes, everything was handmade, allowing for a higher selling price and a stable income. The man was looking for a dress. Kid’s size, most likely for his daughter. He liked helping his customers pick a present. Seeing the self-doubt and the genuine wish to please someone else in them was always refreshing.

‘Do you have these shoes in a smaller size?  
-Just let me check in the back.’

The shoes in question were not in high demand, so he had stored them high up in the shelves. He took out the ladder and reached out for the box on his tiptoes. These sort of moments were when he resented being short. His fingertips barely reached the hole in the shoe box when he slipped due to his unstable position. He fell on the ground, dragging the shoe box with him. The sound alerted the surprised customer who was comforted as much as was possible by the fallen down shopkeeper. His knee was bleeding. He warned the man that he would be absent for a minute before heading to the bathroom for band-aids and antiseptic, holding up his robe to prevent blood stains. A stool was under the sink for cases like this. He thought that he had put the wrong knee up when he didn’t see a wound but faint traces of blood showed him what had been there.

_No._

He frantically checked his other knee and touched his entire body.

It didn’t hurt anywhere.

_No, no, no, no, no, no._

It was too soon. It had never come that soon. He hadn’t had time to prepare. He started pacing around the bathroom, his hands on his head. What to do? He usually came in slow, gently. But now he had no time. If he didn’t stop it soon it would happen again. Ravio slid down the wall, covering his head with his arms. Even following his usual tactics, had he ever succeeded? What was he to do? Storm in ? Tie him up? Cage him until the end of his life? Then he would only be the same as him. No. He needed to plan something. And quick. But what? The office. That’s right, he had an office. He just had to go there and work something out.

‘I’ll be back in a minute!’

His Lunae had flown to him. Repeating the last sentence that he had pronounced, like usual.

‘Oh, that’s right, the customer. Thanks Sheerow.’

He pulled himself together, adjusted his robe and walked back to his shop, the shoebox in hand.

‘Thank you for waiting Mr.Customer! Here are your lovely shoes.’

The customer payed, and took a business card at the counter to recommend to friends. He was then accompanied out. That was when he saw the woman again. The one in Link’s office, probably his partner of some sort. He always managed to find some weird ones. She had also recognised him and was walking towards him. Her eyes were red. She wore make-up but it couldn’t completely hide the traces under her eyes. She had been crying, and probably didn’t sleep the night before. It was easy to tell why she was here even after the hostility surrounding their last meeting. Without saying a word, he showed her inside the shop, flipping the open/closed sign as he shut the door.

‘The Great Deku tree opened, didn’t it?’

She nodded, grasping her handbag. She gathered the courage she had left and started to speak, still holding back her tears.

‘I need your help.’


	5. Attack

The master was nowhere to be seen. At least nowhere where his servant _wanted_ to see him. Every time that the vampire finished feeding, the atmosphere around him changed. It became sadder. Filled with nostalgia. He would immediately head for the empty room next to his chambers and stay there for hours, unmoving. Ghirahim had grown up reading stories about the great Ganon and being educated in the ways and needs of vampires. He still remembered the chapter that gave him chills as a little boy. The one which talked about feeding.

 Vampires need to feed regularly, but the process of satisfaction isn’t the same as for normal carnal feeding. Being hungry creates a need that needs to be satisfied, and the degree of satisfaction depends entirely on the prey. One could drink the blood of thousands without feeling a single ounce of satisfaction, leaving the hungry monster to continue his rampage. On the other hand, the blood of a high quality prey can satisfy them for months. Some even keep a single prey alive for decades to be able to enjoy more of that delicacy which satisfies them like no other.

 Through the journals of different generations of servants of the great vampire it was obvious that his preferences narrowed down gradually over his cycles of awakening. At first, he seemed to be satisfied with anything that contained a large amount of warm blood. After he was sealed away for the first time, he began limiting himself to human males, increasing his demand every cycle, leaving his servants to turn over every stone to fufill his commands until _that time_ came. Every time he started a journal, he prayed that _that time_ would never come, but it always did. He never understood why, and he swore to himself that it would not happen on his watch. It was obvious that his master wasn’t able to be satisfied with mere replacements anymore, which was why he believed that there was a reason that he was alive during this cycle. It was simple. As long as the object of his satisfaction was still alive, Ganon would continue to long for him, almost ignoring other humans. If that were to disappear, his master would surely go back to his rampaging self, returning to the glory of his ancient days. He concentrated to be able to feel the vampire’s aura more clearly. It was restless and sad. His resolve hardened. I was time for him to take action.

 

* * *

 

 

 ‘You’re not as surprised as I thought you would be.’ Ravio was sipping his hot chocolate while looking at the young Zora who had barely touched hers.

‘Let’s just say that these past few days have been full of surprises. This just happens to be one of them. And after seeing your face, it became hard not to believe you.’

The shop keeper smiled. She had been a lot more cooperative and helpful that he had anticipated her to be.

‘But, if we happen to succeed in doing what you told me, what’s going to happen next? Do we just leave Ganon roaming free? Do you have a plan for that?’

Ravio put down his cup on the coffee table and stood up, heading towards a small table with a single drawer tightly secured with a lock. He put his hand on the handle before answering.

‘To be perfectly honest with you, I couldn’t care less.’

Ruto, surprised, almost spilled the chocolate that she had finally started to drink to calm herself down. Her host continued.

‘If he chases us down, we’ll run. Run to the end of the earth if we have to. If he chooses to satisfy his hunger on other people, we can just settle down somewhere cut off from the news of the world and live in peace.’

The young Zora lowered her head in thought. Was it really the right thing? Whatever scenario was put in front of her, she could only see misfortune for her beloved. She hated being unable to help him properly during the time where he probably needed her the most. Lost in her thoughts, she unwillingly whispered.

‘How did it get so complicated?

-Ganon is to blame for that.’ Answered Ravio, harshly.

‘Because of his selfishness, he got Link caught in this unending circle of fate and despair. But I’ll get him out of it. No matter the cost.’

Ruto observed the burning eyes of the one who had just spoken these words. How long had he been watching over Link in this way? She had always thought that no one was closer to him than she was, but she felt that no matter how much she tried, she would never be able to understand the depth of the feelings that the man in front of her held for him.

 

The old pendulum clock in the back of the shop rang. It was already seven o’clock. Ravio put his hood back down and headed for his coat cabinet.

‘We should probably get going.’ He said.

‘Now!?

-He seems to be recovering his memories faster than usual this time. If I wait too long, he might recognize me. It’ll be hard to reason with him then.

-Are you going to be okay?’

Ruto was genuinely concerned. She saw too much of herself in that man. There was a small pause before the shopkeeper answered.

‘Of course I’ll be okay. How many times do you think I’ve done this?’

His smile was visible under the bottom of his hood, but it was easy to tell that it was fake.

‘You should be the worried one. Didn’t you tell him that he wouldn’t see you again?’

She had forgotten. She had forced Link into a hard choice. She didn’t have any right to just come waltzing back into his life as she wished. But even so…

‘I don’t care. Whatever he thinks of me, I’m going to do this.

-That’s what I like to hear.’

 

* * *

 

 

It was around two o’clock when Link got back to his office. Almost by instinct, he headed to the sofa before diving into it, but something was blocking him this time. The master sword was much longer than the cheap swords he had been using. It was much more comfortable to swing around, but it seemed that he would have to get used to it impairing his movements around the office. He sat up, took it out of the scabbard and stared at the familiar blade. His head was in a jumble. Everything in his world was changing, and parallel to that, multiple lives tried to cram themselves into his head. Pieces by pieces, he could see moments, people, blurry images, sometimes feelings. He wanted to know more. To understand these new feelings that arose from far away memories, but it was too much for him to process conscious. Sleep was calling out to him. He didn’t understand how he would manage to sleep after what had happened in the morning, but his body didn’t leave him much choice. As soon as he closed his eyes, he was already gone.

 Instead of the usual ringing of the telephone, his door bell was what woke him up from his deep sleep. He looked at the clock. Seven thirty. These few hours had felt like years. His head still in a mush, he went to open the door. On the other side were two people.

Two people that he knew very well.

  _It’s been a while Ravio._ He signed.

 Ravio looked up to the man in front of him in shock. He couldn’t believe how fast his memory was recovering. Seeing the smile that he had missed for so long, his heart wavered, but he quickly regained control over it.

 ‘Well this saves time. I assume that you already know what I’m here to talk about.’

Link nodded.

‘And you probably have no intention of listening to me. Don’t you?’

He nodded once more.

 Ravio headed towards the sofa while Ruto went to make some tea, carefully avoiding staying in Link’s line of sight for too long. He pointed to the other end of where he was sitting, as if ordering Link to sit. When he refused, Ravio insisted.

‘Do I need to remind you who’s the older one here?’

 Link sat down.

  _You know that that won’t work every time right? Just because of two or three minutes I wouldn’t say that really counts._

 ‘If it works it works. Now you need to just listen and-‘

 A loud noise resonated in the floor above the office. Link barely had any time to reach for his sword before half a dozen moblins burst through the window. Just like falling back into an old dance routine, the sword of the warrior and the various rods held by the shopkeeper worked in perfect harmony to defeat the monsters in front of them.

 But nothing prepared them for what came in the darkness of their shadows.

 Appearing like out of nowhere behind Link, came the white haired man. Without letting anybody react to his apparition, his sword pierced through the warrior’s gut, before disappearing along with its wielder.

 The blood gushing out of the stomach of their precious person filled the vision of those present and awakened buried urges in the vampire who could have smelled the scent of the familiar blood from a thousand kilometers away.

 'Quick! Grab the sword that he dropped and put it in his hand!’ Said Ravio, desperately trying to maintain his calm while holding the bleeding man.

Ruto rushed over and put the master sword in Link’s hand. A faint glow emanated from it which spread up his arm, all the way down to his gut. Slowly regaining his composure and seeing the surprise on Ruto’s face, Ravio started to explain.

 ‘Link’s life-force is connected to that of the sword. As long as the sword protects him he won’t die.

-Still…Isn’t that a bit too quick?’ Ruto pointed at the already closed wound.

Ravio clicked his tongue. _So that’s why he was regaining his memories so quickly_.

‘I’m warning you, you better tell me if you know anything that I don’t.’

He didn’t think that he could lie to the pair of earnest eyes staring at him, and he had no real reason to.

‘Every time Link seals Ganon, a bit more of his soul fuses with the sword, allowing him to use more and more of its power, but he also loses a bit of himself in the process. That’s why he can’t speak. He started to lose his voice three cycles ago. It’s fine for now, but if he continues to use the seal in this way he’ll just become a walking corpse without a soul. At that point he won’t be able to die, he’ll just wander until his body can’t handle it anymore.’

 Ruto felt horrified at the image that floated into her head while the shopkeeper was talking, but it was nothing like what she felt when another creature appeared near them.

 Instantly, the room filled with an intense presence. Even a baby would have had some understanding of the power oozing from it. It was enough to wake up Link, who made everyone in the room tremble with concern as he rose up.

 ‘Link!’

 This time, Ganon was the one to cry out and reach out for the warrior. Recognizing the voice which called him, he turned around to look at its owner. A flood of memories that he had previously only seen in dreams flashed before his eyes and he couldn’t resist the smile which drew onto his face.

 

 _Shit._ Ganon froze before touching him. _I haven’t seen that smile in so long. I haven’t seen it in too long…_

 

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm finally settled back in uni so you can expect more frequent chapters ^o^ 
> 
> Sorry for yet another cliffhanger......*evil laugh*


	6. Blood

‘Get away from him!’

 Ravio jumped up to create a barrier between Link and Ganon.  Though he was still wearing his hood, the vampire immediately recognized the human. _His fashion sense really doesn’t skip any of his reincarnations._ He thought to himself in an attempt to calm down. And, just like every reincarnation before him, he was here again, desperately trying to separate them. He showed the confident smile that he always wore in these situations before responding to the threat.

 ‘Make me.’

 Shivers ran down the shopkeeper’s spine. _This again._ He spent so much time worrying about this moment. Trying to plan his words, his actions. His entire life revolved around it. But when it came down to it, he was weak. There was no way that he could stop the powerful vampire, and he knew it. Still, he was never able to back down of his own will. He reached out to his fire rod before a familiar hand stopped him. Using Ravio’s arm to push himself up, a very pale and wobbling Link could now be seen by the two men. Seeing him in this weakened state, neither of them could hold back the worried look on their faces, which made Link laugh softly.

_You both look like you’ve seen a ghost. You know I’ll soon be fine._

He then turned to Ravio and Ruto.

_Would you mind leaving us alone for a few minutes?_

 As the shopkeeper showed a desperate look, he added.

_I promise I won’t leave. I’ll be with you in a few minutes. Trust me._

 Link never lied. Ravio knew that more than anyone else. He also knew how stubborn he could be.

Though it killed him to do it, he allowed them a few minutes of intimacy.

 ‘We’ll be in the next room.’

 He then turned to Ganon.

 'If I hear anything suspicious, no matter how small, I rushing in. Understood?’

 The vampire nodded. Ravio helped Ruto to get on her feet and she showed him to Link’s room, just next to the main office room. Both slammed the door very hard, perhaps to clearly show that they were still close by. Link turned to Ganon and smiled.

_It’s been a while._

‘It has.’

 The hunter showed his guest to the balcony. Facing westward, they were able to fully admire the setting sun before it sunk between the concrete buildings surrounding them. As they both leaned over the barrier, Link held up his left hand for the vampire to take hold of. By instinct, his own hand went to slide into it, interlocking their fingers as they often did.

 ‘I thought that you wanted to talk.’

 Link rested his head on their hands, still held high, before using his free hand to sign.

 _It’s Fine_.

 Ganon stared at the hunter’s head, completely defenceless as it sat on his hand. The soft wind made his hair rustle, slightly tickling his right hand. Having lost his immunity to the young man’s actions after such a long time, he rested his own head on his free hand using the barrier. Carefully avoiding Link’s eyes so that he wouldn’t notice the visible effects of his face burning. Unable to resist the urge to talk even while his partner wasn’t able to properly answer he opened his mouth.

 ‘You just want to make me monologue, don’t you?’

 He could feel Link’s head nodding through his hand.

 ‘I knew I should’ve just sucked you dry ages ago.’

 Link snorted while his grip tightened. There was a risk of Ganon actually sucking him dry, but that was a story of a time long ago. A time where they were able to live on their own. A time where they didn’t know what it meant to depend on someone so much that they would use any methods possible to prolong their time together.

 A time where they hadn’t met.

 How long ago was it? That they had met. Neither of them could clearly remember. No, not quite. What they couldn’t remember, was a time where they were not together. They had been undergoing this crazy cycle for so long that a time where none of them knew of the other’s existence seemed unreal. Almost like when someone talks about your early childhood which you have no memory of.

 Link was eighteen when he was tasked with the task of collecting the pendants required to unseal the master sword. When the vampire started going rampant a few years prior, Kokoriko’s council announced that as soon as a man became of age, he would join the other warriors in the King’s army to fight the monster. Aided by different sages, it soon became apparent that Link was different from the others. Rumours began to circulate amongst the monsters. Some even began to flee at the mere sight of him. Curious as to who could possibly inspire such fear amongst his henchmen, Ganon sent some of his most fearsome monsters in a closed room while Link was conquering a dungeon. He had cast a spell to keep the doors locked so long as the monsters were still alive. If he was as fearsome as he heard and he did indeed manage to survive this ordeal, then he would prove to be a worthy opponent. It had been years since the vampire had enjoyed a fight, so he placed a small hope in the young man. _Don’t disappoint me little green man._

 The two monsters had long swords, and knew how to use them. But Link was no easy opponent. He easily avoided their attacks as he cut one down, but as he was pulling his sword out of the fallen monster, he couldn’t completely avoid one strike to the arm. Thankfully it wasn’t much, and he managed to easily cut the second monster as well. He pulled out a potion from his pouch and drank it. After confirming that his cut was healed, he headed to the next room.

 Ganon flew down from his hiding place to observe the bodies. Each strike was aimed at a vital organ. There were no unnecessary movement in his fighting style. What would he be like when he gained more experience? He couldn’t wait to see. As he bent down to observe the second corpse, he noticed a strange smell, unlike anything he had smelled before. He snooped around the body to discover it’s origin before concentrating on the sword. _Is that the smell of blood?_ He had never smelled such a strange aroma from blood before. Unable to hold back curiosity, he swiped some of it unto his finger before licking it.

 Shivers took over his body as he tasted the unusual liquid. _What is this?_ He had never tasted blood this good before. Was it possible? Could blood really taste this good? He instinctively stood up and looked towards the door that the warrior had used a few moments before. Could such a frail figure really create such a delicacy? He tried to think rationally but he couldn’t. All that he knew was that he wanted more. He could have gone after him and sucked him dry right then. _But that would be too much of a shame._ He needed to find a way to capture him, but how? If he tried to catch him now, he would probably lose control in the heat of the fight and kill him. Suddenly, he remembered the reason why the young warrior was in the dungeon in the first place.

 The master sword.

 The master sword was a legendary sword that used its bearer’s life force as energy, allowing them to even shoot out energy blasts when these were in perfect health. In return, it also granted them superior healing power. If the young warrior got a hold of the sword, it would become harder to kill him, and when he would drink his blood, the sword would heal him easily as long as he still had some drops in him. A smile covered his face. _They do say, good things come to those who wait, and so I shall._ He gathered a few drops of blood from the sword into a vial before teleporting back to his castle, overjoyed.

 It didn’t take a month for Link to obtain the last pendant he needed to break the seal, and it didn’t take more than a minute for Ganon and a horde of monsters to appear straight after he obtained the sword. Tired from having fought a few dozen of the vampire’s lackeys, it wasn’t difficult for Ganon to calmly knock the warrior out. After taking a few seconds to savour his victory, he lifted the unconscious man off the ground before teleporting back to his manor. It took all that he had to not bite at the exposed neck before him, but he wanted his first proper feeding of the young man to be in the best conditions. He put his prey down in one of the cages in his basement and took a good look at the body in front of him.

 For an entire month he had put up with single drops of blood from the vial that he had collected in the dungeon, in hopes of being able to fully enjoy its taste later. And here it was, sleeping defencelessly in front of him.  He gently slapped the cheek of the young man in order to wake him up. As his eyes slowly opened Ganon could not stop a smile from forming, and when his prey showed a shocked expression at the view of the vampire, he couldn’t suppress the smile covering his entire face.

 ‘Welcome to your living hell, Mr.Hero.’

 

 

 

 

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here it is :)
> 
> Next time you wil finally know more about their relationship and the cycle. ^o^
> 
> I hope you enjoyed it.


	7. Steak

‘It’s time for your meal! ’

Link was woken up by Koume, one of the two old women who seemed to live in the manor along with Ganon. She and Kotake seemed to take turns to take care of the young man. Today’s lunch was as usual. Bread and ham along with some rice and vegetables. After a month of being here, he wished that they would change the menu slightly, but he was in no position to complain. He had tried to escape numerous times, but the security of Ganon’s lair was no joke. First of all, Ganon’s presence would make anybody think twice about trying to sneak out, secondly, the women there were tougher than they looked. The two sisters of ice and fire made remarkable opponents. A fact which Link quickly faced during his second attempt.

It would all be much easier with his sword. It was in plain sight, just next to the cage, but it was trapped into a barrier which could only be broken by Ganon himself.  The only thing allowed to pass the barrier was the sword’s healing power, allowing him to quickly heal after the vampire’s visits.

Speaking of visits, it was soon time for _him_ to come down.

He could hear the steps coming down the stairs. Not too fast, not too slow, as if he was quietly enjoying the moments before his meal. As soon as their eyes met, the vampire never failed to smile, just as one would look at a full course dinner all prepared on a table. _What am I, a roast chicken?_ Link thought. During the first two weeks, he had desperately fought back, but quickly realized that there was no way he could overpower the vampire. Though he hated it, he had no choice but to let the feeding happen.

‘You’ve really stopped resisting haven’t you? Have you grown to like it?

-The sooner you do it, the sooner it’s over. Then I can enjoy not seeing your face for at least twenty four hours.’

Ganon smiled.

‘You’re right.’

Link hated that smile. It was but another proof of his powerlessness.

The vampire was much bigger than him, and, though he hated to admit it, the sight of such a huge frame coming down towards him and covering him while the cold fangs pierced his skin, was terrifying. By now, he knew that he probably wouldn’t be sucked dry like other victims. For some reason, the monster had taken a liking to his blood. He still didn’t know whether that was lucky or just unfortunate.

‘Say,’

Ganon, on his way out of the cellar, suddenly turned around. It had been weeks since the young man had started a conversation with him. He didn’t care what his prey had to say, but his curiosity took over.

‘What?

-How long are you planning to continue feeding off me like this?

-Until I get bored probably.’ He answered while putting his white gloves back on. Link had noticed that he always took them off while feeding. Perhaps so that he could get a better sensation of his prey’s neck.

‘I see.’

Link hugged his knees tighter and put his head down. After being drained of most of his blood, all that he could do was lie down or put his head down in this way, and he didn’t want to lie down in front of the vampire. The answer that he was given only confirmed his fears. One day, like any other day, once Ganon was bored of him, he would come down, and suck him dry without any warning. He wouldn’t even see death coming. It would all be over in an instant.

‘What, are you crying?’ Said the vampire jokingly.

Link raised his head and met Ganon’s eyes. There were no tears in those blue eyes, only determination. The young man still hadn’t completely given up. His gaze said it all. _One day, I will definitely leave this place and live free._

‘As I thought, you really are interesting.’

Ganon bent down and raised Link’s head with two fingers.

‘Work hard not to bore me, young hero.’

Slowly taking his fingers out from under the warrior’s head, the vampire then walked away towards the stairs, unable to shake the smile off his face.

As soon as he heard the door close from afar, Link fell into a lying position. Using the bars to put his feet up in order for the small amount of remaining blood to flow to his head, he tried to find a comfortable pose. He then closed his eyes in order to better evaluate his situation. But in the darkness surrounding his vision, all that he could see was the hungry pair of eyes that were so focused on him moments before. Those eyes which seemed to peer into the bottom of his soul. He hated them.

He hated them…

The following day, it was Kotake who came down to bring him his meals. When lunch time came, Link noticed something different. Replacing the usual dry ham and bread was a steak. A well-cooked steak which seemed to have just come off the grill.

‘How come it’s different today?’ He couldn’t resist asking.

‘I don’t know. The master just suddenly put a steak on the cooking table and asked me to give it to you. It’s probably to make your blood taste better. Unlike Koume I’m not good with fire so don’t blame me if it’s not properly cooked.

-Thank you.’ He said, smiling.

Kotake showed a surprised look, then left without saying a word. It had been a long time since he was able to enjoy cooked meat, and, as he didn’t know if it would ever happen again, he enjoyed every bite of it as fully as he could.

Eight o’clock came again. And with the ringing of the clock, came the familiar footsteps. The more used he became to the sight of the approaching vampire, the more Link began to wonder what made him look so happy every day. Was his blood really that good? Ganon always seemed to enjoy feeding on him. Though he always left shortly after. Usually, Link would just stay sitting down, silently waiting for the vampire to leave. He often wondered why he didn’t act as usual that day. Why he talked. Why he didn’t want to part just yet.

‘Thank you for the steak.’

Ganon turned back to face the young man, surprised.

‘Did it work?

-Did what work?’ Shocked by his prey’s unusual actions the vampire had answered without thinking.

‘Did it make my blood taste better?’

Still trying to understand the situation, Ganon stood still for a few seconds before answering.

‘Why would a steak make your blood taste better?

-Kotake said so. Since it’s a much better meal than usual she guessed that it may have been to make it taste better. Was she wrong?’

Why was the young man looking for a deep meaning behind something as trivial as his lunch? The vampire had only changed the menu on a whim. But faced with Link’s questions, he felt compelled to make-up a reason.

‘We just ran out of ham. Why? Do you like steak or something?

-I love it.’

Taken aback, Ganon could not help the surprised look on his face. He was smiling. The main prey of the greatest vampire to ever walk this earth was happily smiling in his cage while talking about something stupid like steaks. An inexplicable rush of feelings came over him. The kind of rush that he had only previously felt while looking into the terrified eyes of his preys. In the moments where seeing the fear that he instilled unto others made him feel alive. And yet, over a puny smile…

‘I see.’

On these words. The vampire quickly left the cellar. On his way to his quarters, he met Kotake, on her way to fetch the empty lunch tray from the cell. After crossing each other and walking a few meters, he quickly turned around and called out to her.

‘Yes?

-When the ham runs out, buy steaks instead. It’s cheaper.

-With all due respect ham is cheaper than steak.

-It’s cheaper.’ He said with a determined look.

Puzzled, Kotake decided to go along with Ganon’s weird behaviour.

‘-Understood. We only have a few slices left so I’ll stock right away. Would that be okay?

-It’s fine.’

Kotake bowed and headed towards the cellar.

The next day, the usual slice of ham was accompanied by a well done steak, much to the joy of the prisoner.

 

 

 

 


	8. Cake

‘What do you think humans like to eat?’

Koume, who had just finished cleaning the living room, was surprised at Ganon’s sudden question. The vampire acted as usual, sitting in his sofa chair, watching the flames dance in the fire-place like he always did after feeding. But ever since a few days prior, he would act strangely at times. The two witches had talked it over, and decided to go along with his behaviour for now.

‘From what I know, it depends on the human. There are main food items that most of them seem to like, but the easiest way to know would be to ask.

-I see.

-Would that be all?

-Yes, go on now.’

The witch bowed and left the room. Ganon was left in total silence, with only the vibrations of the fire crackling to reach his ears. He found silence appeasing; and longed to be in it as long as possible.

The clock ringed the ten o'clock bells. It was time for him to go and attack villages near-by.

He always went at the same time, and the villagers knew this. An army would be stationed at every village nearing the time of the attack, letting the vampire have his fun along with a satisfying feeding. He wondered when the humans would realise how futile their efforts were, but he decided to enjoy their stupidity while it lasted.

He attacked one village. Then another. Another again. Until he felt fully satisfied. He had lost count at around midnight.

Longing to rest his legs, he decided to sit on a nearby bench. Due to his overwhelming size, he found it most difficult to sit comfortably on the puny seating appliances of humans. Looking around for a more appropriate object, he noticed a bakery sign.

_"Home of the best cakes in Hyrule! Their delicious taste will charm you!"_

"Cakes"? What were cakes ? The vampire knew nothing of human food. He always left Koume and Kotake to feed the preys. He peeked inside the shop, barely fitting through the wide open door. Judging by the state of the place, it seemed that the villagers were evacuated in a hurry. Probably because this village was farther away than he usually went to feed. In a glass counter were round food items. He took out the darkest one and tore off a bit before eating it.

It was _disgusting_. How could humans eat this food?

The half open drawer on the inside of the counter showed quite a significant amount of money for a small village shop. Did humans find this round sponge-like item that appealing? The bright smile that his prey had showed him a few days prior popped into his head. _He_ had been very happy over some weird human food.

Would he...enjoy this?

Ganon found the prey's reactions amusing. This would be an opportunity to experience more of them. He grabbed a box laid out in the counter, placed the cake in it, and teleported back to his manor.

**

It was twenty to eight. Link stared at the clock, standing alone on the steps of the stairs leading up to the manor. When it would ring, steps would inevitably follow soon afterwards. During his first two weeks in this cage, he had hated that clock. It showed him how powerless he was against the passing of time in this prison, and with each hourly ring, reality sunk in more and more. However, somehow, the same clock brought a feeling of comfort. The only moving object apart from him in the immensity of the cold cellar, it brought him reassurance that he was still alive.

It was now five to eight. Soon, he would hear the familiar steps coming down the stone stairs. If he was still the same way he was some time ago, this would be the time where he would turn away from the clock and close his eyes. Hoping that somehow, the monster wouldn't come tonight. But this time, he didn't turn away. No. He didn't want to turn away. Was it adaptation ? Or had he simply gone crazy from being confined in this cell for over a month? One thing was for sure. He wasn't scared anymore. It was easy to remember the terror he felt on the first day of his capture. How his entire being tensed up and his heart felt as if it was going to stop. He would even dream of it sometimes. But it was all a distant memory. It felt silly to admit it, but he almost trusted the vampire. Ever since the steak incident, Ganon would stay behind a bit longer after feeding. Without saying a word, he would just stare at the young man for a while. Feeling the awkwardness of the situation and being too exhausted to say a word, Link would also keep quiet. Still, there was one single thing that Link could not escape from. No matter if he turned away or closed his eyes, he could sense it. The vampire was studying him with his eyes. He was scanned from head to toe. As he closed his eyes, he could see them. The red eyes that stared right into him. The same eyes which turned golden just before sharp fangs would be pushed into his neck. The eyes that he was forced to stare into every time. And even when his eyes were not forced open by brute strength, he could not escape them. Whenever Ganon would start walking away, he would count the steps until he had gone up the stairs.

39

At the thirty ninth step, Link would fall onto the ground to rest; with the shadow of red eyes lingering behind his eyelids.

The eight o'clock bell rang; pulling Link away from his train of thought. The young man felt surprise at the unusually fast pace at which he could hear the steps coming down, and even more surprised at the pink box which the vampire was holding with great care.

After the feeding, Link started to mentally prepare himself to the studying that he would be subjected to, but was shocked when Ganon came back into the cage with the pink cardboard box. He sat down in front of his prey, cross-legged, before handing it to him.

'Here.'

Still wondering what in the world was happening, Link took the box off the vampire's hand and opened it.

It was cake.

Why on earth would Ganon give him cake?

'Do you not like it?' asked the vampire, faced with the perplexed face of his prey.

'No, no. I love cake!' Link answered hurriedly, still not entirely grasping the situation.

'Eat then.'

Faced with the stare of the vampire, the young man had no choice but to obey. He took out one of the pre-cut slices and ate it. The nostalgic soft texture and taste of chocolate cake filled his taste buds, and he could not resist showing a smile.

Ganon hummed in deep thought.

Link looked up to see the vampire staring at him harder than before. This triggered a response which had started to appear for the past few days, but that the vampire had been unable to see due to Link hiding his face. The reaction did not go unnoticed by the observer.

'Why are your cheeks becoming red? Does this 'cake' thing make humans' cheeks go red?' Asked Ganon, taken over by curiosity.

The remark only brightened the red flooding the young man's cheeks. He looked down to the ground and held out the box containing the rest of the cake.

'You have some too!' He said, trying to change the topic of the conversation.

'I had some. I can't understand why you humans love this weird food so much. I just wanted to see your reaction.'

Still staring at the ground, the red of the young man's face rose up to his ears at the vampire's calm delivery.

Without a word or a goodbye, Ganon rose up and started walking back to his manor, satisfied by his preys reaction. Thirty-nine steps later, Link dropped the cake slice back into the box before curling up and putting his head on his knees, still blushing uncontrollably. He whispered in desperation.

 'What the hell is this.'

 

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> To be perfectly honest, I wasn’t too much into this ship as I started this fanfic, but the more I write the more I become obsessed with Ganon. I even bought the Ganondorf amiibo as my first ever Amiibo. I'll just pretend that this is a good thing as I try to deal with all the feels I get from writing this.


	9. Escape

'Why do you love seeing my reactions so much?'

The two men made eye contact. The vampire was obviously startled by that question. He couldn't count how many of those cakes he was already brought to his prey. He never thought much of it. He just...did it. Every time he saw a bakery during one of his raids, Link's face popped up in his head. The next thing he knew, he was on his way back with a pink box in his hands. Why did he do it? As he started into the eyes of his prey, desperately trying to hold back the burning sensation of his face, his true feelings blurted out of his mouth.

'I don't know. I just do.'

Link bent his face down, having lost the fight against the flames. 'Ok' was the only answer he managed to pronounce.

Still intrigued by the young man's reaction, Ganon pulled up Link's face using his index.

'And you, why does your face get so red lately? I initially thought that this was a reaction to the cake but lately, you only get this reaction after having finished the cake, when we talk.'

The young man's heart started to beat wildly while he desperately looked for a reasonable excuse for his very obvious behaviour.

'It's a human thing.' He answered.

Unsatisfied by Link's reason, Ganon pried further.

'That's why I want you to explain it to me.'

The young man panicked. Using all of his brain cells to try and divert the subject, what popped into his mind was the romance novel that one of his female friends always carried around with her. He had to admit that he had started to be slightly worried over her obsession with the book. Why did the image pop into his head ? He didn't know. Was he stupid enough in his current state to actually recommend it to the blood-sucking vampire ? Yes.

'I don't know! Just go read Tender Torment or something!' He said while batting Ganon's hand away before averting his eyes one more time.

'Interesting. Where could I find that book?'

The vampire's answer had Link grabbing his captor's arm in plea.

'No, wait! Don't actually read it!

-But you just told me...

-Just don't read it!' said the young man strongly.

Starting to lose patience over his nonsensical prey, the vampire lost any gentleness that could've existed in his voice.

'Don't order me around little man. You wouldn't like the consequences.'

Expecting fear to fill the eyes of the listener as usual, Ganon was surprised when he started giggling. When asked the reason for this unusually timed laughter, he simply answered: 'Because you wouldn't hurt me.' Enraged by being looked down upon in this manner by measly prey, the vampire grabbed the thin neck that was still slightly bleeding with his right hand and bashed the small body against the bars.

'Don't underestimate me little boy. I could kill you as soon as you bore me.'

Surprise continued to invade Ganon's eyes when Link started smiling once more.

'Are you doing it unconsciously?' He said. 'You're trying to scare me by being brutal but I barely grazed the bars behind me and your grip is so far away from my neck it's almost comfortable. I've stopped being scared of you for a while now.'

A million come backs came to life in the vampire's mind, but none were able to escape his mouth. Only his eyes started to filled with rage. Not towards his prey, but towards himself. Towards himself for being unable to act rationally, and for not being able to prove this man wrong.

'Suit yourself.' He said before locking the cage and leaving the cellar.

As his captor walked towards the stairs, Link had a fleeting thought. He knew that he would seem crazy for having this thought; and perhaps he was. Perhaps he had gone crazy since he saw the red pair of eyes turn gold before him. But he could not stop it. He was alone in this cage, who could judge him? All that he had was himself, and the question that he always asked in his mind.

_Why do I find him so cute?_

**

During the next few days, The vampire stopped staying longer after feeding. There was always a slight moment of hesitation before he would step on the stairs which had not gone unnoticed by the young man, but he had never turned back. Many times he had wanted to grab him to stop him from leaving, but his body, worn out from the intense feedings, didn't have the capability to do so. All that he could do was watch, powerless, as he was left alone in the cold basement. Koume and Kotake still came as usual, and Koume had turned out to be a pretty good conversation partner, but even during their interesting conversations, all that he could go was glance at the stone stairs leading up to the mansion; hoping that he would hear the familiar stern steps coming down to see him. He knew that this was impossible. Ganon never came down outside of his normal time-slot and he was probably fast asleep at this bright hour of the day, still, a fool's hope is hard to kill.

He managed to get some news of the vampire through Koume. This was how he got to know how he was like outside of the basement. The witch had lately started to complain that Ganon would rarely come out of his room these days. Even his raids had gotten shorter. She found it strange, and so did Link, who also found it slightly infuriating. _If you have time to stay cooped up in your room all night you should spend more time with me._ He couldn't help to think that way. As much as he hated the thought, the horrible disappointment that he felt each time the vampire left him only brought him back down to the hard reality. _Just come down here and speak to me you stupid vampire._

 

One day, as Koume brought down his food, Link couldn't help but notice some uneasiness in her behaviour. Curious, he asked what could possibly be wrong. Though the witch was uneasy at first, she ended up opening up to the young man about the situation at hand.

For the past few days a special army to fight against the vampire had been formed, much more powerful than before. Being sure that no human invention could threaten Ganon, none of the witches worried about it. But the night prior, the vampire had headed to do his daily raid in an area equipped with this new army and had still not come back.

Link's heart dropped, making him nearly drop his food. He asked if there was a way to contact the vampire to be sure of his safety, to which the witch shook her head. She reassured the young man saying that this was just an old woman's worry, that surely nothing had happened, slightly touched by Link's obvious concern.

'Just eat well and rest. He'll want a good treat when he comes back.'

Link nodded, silently cursing the fact that he was powerless towards this situation.

A few hours passed, and the young man grew increasingly worried by the minute. It was still a good three hours before Ganon would usually come down to feed, leaving him no way of knowing whether the vampire had come back or not. He started pacing to calm down, which slowly escalated into playing with the prison bars. As he went around, his heart stopped upon one discovery.

The door.

The door was opened.

Koume must have had forgotten to lock it due to her absent-minded state. The panel of bars previously pushed by the prisoner was now wide open, almost inviting him through. It was highly likely that Ganon was not around, and along with this possibility, the witches were in a state of such distraught that they had left his cage opened. If there ever was an opportunity to escape, it would be now. He could sneak out of the castle and regain his normal life, though there would still be the problem of the master sword being stuck down here but it was the last thing on his mind at that moment. The decision that he would make now would shape the next few years of his life drastically. Staring at the open space, Link took a deep breath. And then...

He chose.

 

*

 

Just before eight o'clock, the vampire came back to the mannor, only to be greeted by weepy sisters who seemed to have gone off and worried too much as usual. He reassured them until the clock bell rang, indicating the time to feed. He headed towards the basement, but noticed something different. Usually, as soon as he would take his first step down the cold steps, he would always hear movement in the cage. The familiar rustling of the substrate on the floor had started to be enjoyable to his ears, and yet, this time, he heard nothing.

Intrigued, he slowly walked down the stairs, staring straight at where the cage would soon be in his light of sight. He felt his heart react in a strange way when he noticed the wide open door. He could feel his cool slowly leaving him before realising that the presence of the young boy had not dissipated. In fact, it was still extremely close.

Carefully, he walked towards the cage to find a curled up Link on the corner of the cage which was hard to see from the entrance of the basement. Even though it was obvious that he was aware of the vampire's presence, his head stayed on his knees.

Ganon broke the silence.

'The door is opened you know?

-I know.' Answered the young boy, still facing down.

'I only just came back, you could have easily escaped.' Ganon had wanted this sentence to tease the young boy, but was unable to express it in a non-serious tone.

'I know.' Link said again.

'So why didn't you?'

For a few moments, there was silence. Then Link lifted his head up to meet the vampire's eyes, showing his usual smile.

'Because I'm stupid.'

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Woops it is now 6 in the morning. What is going wrong with my life. Also..
> 
> ATTENTION:  
> In a few chapters I will have 3 possibilities. I could either: 1. Continue with the plot. 2. Leave the plot on hold for a while to bring you loads of fluff. 3. Continue with the plot and then give you the fluff that I have planned after the story has finished as extras.  
> Since I am writing this for you guys I would like to know your opinion and what option you would prefer me to goo with. Tell me in the comments ! :)


	10. Change

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Merry Christmas!!!  
> Here is a double update to celebrate.

"So why didn't you?" The vampire was seriously surprised. At the sight of the open door, he had almost given up on seeing the young man again. Even with the master sword still in custody, Link was more than skilled enough to pass by Koume and Kotake judging by the state that the old women were when he came back. He asked in awe, and in the most genuine curiosity. In the young man's answer, he also sought out the reason why his heart felt relief at the sight of the curled up figure still siting in the cage. When his prey looked up, he had smiled. He was used to him smiling as he would bring him interesting foods to eat, and he sincerely liked that smile, but this one was different, filled with an emotion that he couldn't clearly understand.

"Because I'm stupid."

That was his answer. It was simple. Clear. And yet, it seemed to imply much more. A weird atmosphere fell onto the silent men as they both studied each other's eyes. Link's eyes then fell unto the vampire's left glove. Blood was dripping down onto it, soaking it into a bright red. He stood up and started to slowly walk towards the vampire, still in a state of confusion over his prey's actions. He then grabbed Ganon's left wrist and pulled up the sleeve of his suit, exposing a deep wound just above the elbow. The vampire didn't even flinch. Though he did not understand exactly what was happening, he did not feel any threat from the man in front of him, thus felt no need to react. He simply observed. Just as he had been doing for the past few months. Observed this fascinating being, which awoke the burning curiosity lying inside of him that had barely been touched in the past.

"You're hurt." Link stared at the open wound. He felt as if he could feel the same pain that the vampire was probably feeling just by looking at it.

"It's nothing much." Said Ganon, looking down unto the young man.

"Was it done by the new army out to get you?" Link squeezed the wrist that he was holding slightly more. The army had advanced to be able to hurt the terrifying vampire. This was a good thing. It was a thing to celebrate. And yet...

Some puzzle pieces seemed to click together inside Ganon's mind, but the observed outcome of this reasoning was something unthinkable. Still, he was curious, and that curiosity led him to ask questions.

"Were you...worried?" Ganon asked with a straight face, desperately trying to hide the utter confusion that he felt.

Link squeezed harder. _Worried? Me?_ He wanted to scream out to deny it. Shouting that there would be no reason for him to ever be worried about the blood-sucking monster that he was trained to kill. Yet, the fact that he was still here screamed the opposite, and he hated himself for it. _That's right. I was worried! I was so worried that I stayed here to be sure that you were still alive. To make sure that I would see you again._ If he had escaped he would still have gotten news of the vampire. He could have started training again, and their next meeting would have been when he would finally be able to kill him. And yet. And yet there was something highly unsatisfying about that situation. Something that was linked to the one thing that he never wanted to admit. That he wanted to hide deep inside of him. I really am stupid. He said to himself.

Without bothering to answer the vampire, he simply unbuttoned the first button of his shirt. Pulling it to the side, he exposed the nape of his neck.

"Drink." He said, staring down to the side, unable to look directly at the vampire.

Ganon assessed the situation for a few seconds, then went down on his knees, making it so that their eyes were on the same level. He placed his head to the left of his prey's. "I thought I told you to stop ordering me around." He whispered, before digging his fangs inside the frail neck in front of him. Link wasn't used to this feeding position. As the blood swiftly left his body and his strength faded he instinctively reached out for support, grabbing onto the vampire's suit. He could see the gaping wound slowly healing, leading relief to fall onto his heart. He felt incredibly light-headed, just like always. The only difference between this time and the other feedings, was that instead of cold iron bars, he held onto a large, warm body for support. It wasn't human warmth, but it still felt reassuring; as much as he hated feeling that way.

When Ganon took out his fangs, Link's body fell onto his chest, unable to muster enough strength to stay standing. Link waited until the vampire would push him away, having decided to enjoy the nostalgic feel of another person's body heat after such a long time. _A few seconds won't hurt anyone_. He thought. But the seconds turned into minutes as Ganon stayed unmoving with the young man lying on his chest, seeming to be deep in thought.

Suddenly, the vampire stood up; but to Link's surprise, he didn't stand up alone. Raising his prey up like a bag of rice over his shoulder, he had stood up and started walking towards the steps. In awe, all that the young man could do was look the the cage getting further and further away as he was carried towards and unknown destination. Stairs followed more stairs as he was taken to the first floor of the manor. He saw a long corridor pass by him before he was facing a window and slung on a bed. The bed was part of a small room, with a simple desk a wardrobe and a mirror on the wall opposite him.

"This is your room now." Ganon said. "Only leave when you're told to." He then proceeded to leave himself, leaving behind a very confused Link.


	11. Chapter 11

Koume came along at the usual hour, only this time, her appearance was preceded by a polite knock on what was now Link's door. He allowed her in, granting him the illusion of power inside his prison. The only one who never knocked was Ganon, but the young man expected noting less from the vampire. He was still confused. He had asked Koume and Koutake about the reason behind his sudden change of environment, however, none of them knew. Ganon had simply come down after carrying him into the room to announce the change like it was nothing. There was one thing that he had learnt however. His room was directly to the right of the vampire bedroom. Since then, every time he would hear noise from beyond the stone wall, we would wonder what his neighbour was doing. _This is not helping my condition_. He thought.

The vampire made it very obvious that he did things his own way, without bothering to think about others' opinions, making it hard to question him. But two days after his move, Link asked.

"Why did you take me out of my cage?" He said. "This room doesn't even have a lock."

"Because you won't run away anyway." Ganon answered naturally. "This arrangement is more practical."

Link swallowed, a question burning on his lips. He was probably getting ahead of himself, but even if he was wrong, it wouldn't be bad to be brought back down to reality with the vampire's response. He took a bet.

"Are you saying that you trust me?" He said.

The vampire froze, then looked back at the young man, who was slightly shaking. _Trust?_ Did he Trust him? Trust him not to run away? Why would he need to trust that a prey he had captured would not run away? Yet, he had put him here. With almost no security. He had no doubts that Link would stay put in that room. He knew because of _that day_. He didn't know why the young man didn't escape, and he didn't know why he never tried later on, but he had this feeling that he would stay beside him for a while. Was that....trust?

"I...don't know." Ganon answered honestly. He truly didn't know. He had never needed to build trust in a relationship. He could trust Koume and Kotake, but as he had grown up with them at his side, he could never pinpoint the time he started trusting the sisters. But here he was, with someone he had barely known for a few months. With someone he had never expected to build a relationship with. Link should have just been a handy prey on which he could feed easily. He was just that, wasn't he? Yet here he was, sleeping in the room next to his own, with an unlocked door.

Wanting to end this conversation, Ganon turned towards the door. "Good night." He said before closing it behind him.

Link stared at the closed door in front of him. "Good night." He answered, knowing that it would not be heard. He had realised something that he wished he never had. This was the very first time that the vampire had greeted him. Ganon had always left without a word, showing Link the huge gap that existed between them, that he was an existence which wasn't important enough for greetings. Yet, the vampire had wished him a good night.

"Good night." He repeated, as quietly as a whisper. He repeated it again, and again. A smile spread across his face, unstoppable. He felt ridiculous. Why was he feeling so happy over a simple greeting? A greeting was something any polite and proper person used a million times a day. Ganon was neither polite nor proper; at least not towards Link.

"Good night." The phrase resonated in his head. He fell down unto his bed, seeking the coldness of his pillow to calm down the burning of his face. "What the hell is wrong with me." He whispered in the quietness of the small room.

_Liar. You perfectly know what's wrong with you. Look at you. Staying put inside an unlocked room like a good little puppy. Just a few months ago you were respected and feared as one of the greatest heroes of Hyrule. And now you're too emotionally attached to a blood-thristy vampire to even think clearly._ He had to run away. He had to run away now. If he stayed any longer, he wouldn't be able to go back. He had no reason to be worried anymore, as long as he had someone whose blood he could drink, Ganon would heal easily. Now was the perfect time. Ganon had somehow started to trust him, security would be lax.

Conflicting emotions turmoiled inside his mind. His heart and reason fought a great battle, without any side seeming to cleanly conquer the other. Link grew more and more confused, the lack of blood in his brain preventing him from thinking as clearly as he wanted to. Unable to take it anymore, he decided to open the wooden door. He opened it, and walked down the long corridor, going down the stairs leading to the ground floor. He could feel Ganon's presence. It grew closer and closer. Resolve slowly started to build up as the vampire came into his line of sight. He was facing him with one hand leaning on a sofa chair, probably having noticed his move a long time ago.

"What did I tell you about staying in the room?" He said. Clearly bemused.

Link looked down. Knowing that he would never be able to speak while looking at the vampire. He took a deep breath.

"Put me back into the cage!"

Ganon was shocked. He stared at the trembling young man before him, unable to comprehend the situation.

"Why?" He asked. He wasn't human, but he imagined that anyone would prefer a comfortable bed than a pile of hay between iron bars.

"I'm so....confused!" Link was still lightheaded from the feeding, his trembling body was visual proof of this, but the mumble in his head was the biggest factor to his confusion and distress. He was scared. If he stayed in the cage, he didn't have to make any decisions that he did not want to do. But his semi-freedom made him face choices that he didn't want to make. Salty streaks started to run down his cheeks. "I know that I should run away from here! I should have run away at the first opportunity I saw! My mind is screaming to make me run away right now! And yet...!"

Ganon walked towards the young man. Using his index, he raised his head so that he could take a clear look at Link's blue eyes. "And yet?" He asked. Genuinely curious as to why the young man was staying here. Why he was crying. Why he didn't run away. Why he had decided to stay by his side. He suddenly remembered a scene from the work that he was reading. It was an interesting document teaching him about the complexity of some human emotions. As he tried to put pieces together in his head, he wondered if Link was suffering from one of the emotions so strongly described in that book. He recalled what humans did in this situation.

Taking a step back to have enough space while still holding the young man's face, Ganon bent down to move his head closer to Link's, guiding the young man's face towards his own. Link's eyes widened and he almost wanted to scream as Ganon pressed his lips against his.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Much fangirling occured while writing this chapter. More than I could bear to admit.  
> I hope you liked it as much as I did x3


	12. Deal.

The kiss had lasted but a few seconds, still, Link was unable to shake the sensation away from his lips, not sure if he was ever going to be able to forget it. His knees gave out, making him unable to resist gravity pulling him to the ground. It was cold and hard, but the young man was not in a state where he could consciously notice such small details.

The two men's gaze never left each other, each trying to understand what was going on in the other's mind. Link was the one who broke the silence, desperately trying to calm himself down.

"Why?" He asked. Unable to control the raging confusion inside his mind.

"Did I do something wrong?" Ganon asked in return. "I thought that this was how humans acted in this situations. At least that's how it was in the book that you told me to read. Did I misunderstand?"

_He... read that book?_ Link thought. The title that Link had blurted out a week ago was renowned for being a chick magnet, as well as a man repeller. No respectable man would have ever wanted to even be seen near that piece of writing. Yet, Ganon had read it. Just because the young man had blurted it out one time. _Is he an idiot?_

Link looked closer into the vampire's eyes. _No, that's not quite it._ What shone in the eyes in front of him was genuine curiosity. Whether he was conscious of it or not, he seemed to be full of curiosity towards humans, those creatures that he barely understood, and he had used that book to fulfil his desire for knowledge. _Even the kiss_. Link thought. _He probably has no idea what it really means._ The young man turned his face away from the vampire, choosing to look at the cold tile floor instead.

"That's not how it works." He said, his voice slightly trembling. " A kiss only has any significance when people are in love."

Ganon looked at the boy with surprise. Whenever someone had been the recipient of such behaviour in the book, they had always burst with joy, showing a smile. And yet, there wasn't a single ounce of joy on the man in front of him. If he had to name it, sadness would have been a more appropriate descriptor. _Why?_ He asked himself. _I was sure this would make him happier._

"By observing your unusual behaviour, I had assumed that you felt what has been described as "love" towards me. Was I wrong?"

_Of course._ Thought Link. _There's no way that he would know what love is. He's not even human._ He felt stupid for expecting anything out of this situation. The vampire was just curious and tried to understand his behaviour. There was nothing more. Somehow, this thought hurt more that the fact that he would probably never be able to go back home. He had fallen too deep, there was no going back. He wanted to cry, but he would have never allowed it.

"It doesn't work...If only one person is in love. Both parties have to feel the same way. Otherwise...It's just...painful, for the one who feels something."

"Oh." Ganon said. "I apologize." He didn't understand. He had just wanted to make Link happier as seeing him crying was uncomfortable for him. Yet, he seemed to have only made the situation worse. The young man's eyes were red. Did he want to cry again? Was he...the one who had made him want to cry? He clenched his fists. _I don't like this_. He hated seeing his prey in this condition. He wanted to do something to make him feel better. Anything. _But what?_ He didn't know anything about humans. How they behaved, how they ate, how they loved, nothing. He was the all powerful vampire, feared by most of the world, matched by no living foe, yet, he was powerless as the young human layed sitting in front of him.

Link startled him as he suddenly stood up, turning his back towards the vampire.

"I have a deal to offer you." He said in the most stable voice that he could muster.

"Go on." said Ganon, intrigued by what kind of deal one would think to make in such situations.

"Those kind of books are the worse way to get to know humans. If you really want to know us, I can teach you."

"And in exchange?"

Still facing away from the vampire, Link took a deep breath. "I want to be able to walk freely around the manor."

"Says the one who wanted me to put him in a cage moments ago." Said Ganon.

"I'm not confused anymore." Answered Link.

The vampire paused. Looking at the young man's small back. "Will you run away?" He finally asked.

Link turned his body slightly sideways, turning towards the vampire just enough so that their eyes could meet. He was finally able to show traces of a smile. "If I could run away, I would've done it a long time ago."

Ganon hesitated. If this was any other prey, he would've sucked them dry on the spot for trying to make such deals with him. _Though if he was "any other prey", we wouldn't be in this situation in the first place._ The man had been left in an unlocked room, and had then asked to be put back in a cage again. As intriguing as he was, there was one thing that the vampire was sure of. _He is never going to leave me._ It was a strange sensation. No one had ever willingly lived near him other than the two witch sisters. It was...strangely conforting. _Whatever strange feeling this man feels for me, it makes him unable to leave this place._

"Fine." He said. "You will still wait for me in your room when it is time for me to feed, but you are otherwise free to wander around."

Link's face lit up, granting a bit of relief in the vampire's mind. "Then I'll start teaching you now." He said while getting closer to Ganon. He opened his arms and wrapped them around the vampire's back. "This is how we say thank you."

Ganon obviously felt slightly uncomfortable, but let the young man do as he liked. "I see, I had always thought thank yous were a bit less...physical."

_Well, this is a special kind of thank you._ Link thought. But he was never going to admit it to the vampire. He might as well get _some_ payment for his teaching.


	13. Thoughts

Night fell onto the manor, leading to Ganon's awakening. Winter had now settled in, making the nights longer. He didn't like winter, it made him wake up earlier, making the boring wait until his ten o'clock raids even longer. He got up, wondering what he could do to pass the time. A thought crossed over his head. _I wonder if he's there._

A few weeks ago, he had given his prey permission to walk around the manor freely. He had been prepared for any escape attempts by the young man, but he had shown no signs of escaping. It didn't seem like he even thought about it. _"I'm not confused anymore."_ He had said. Though he had learned more about humans through him, he could never clearly understand Link's behaviour. The more he learned, the more intrigued he got.

He went down the stairs and turned right to go into the living room. Just like I thought, he's here. Link was sleeping peacefully on the sofa facing the amber fire of the chimney. Ganon had started to notice some of Link's habits since he was allowed to move around, though the biggest one was sleeping. It would have been understandable in summer, where the night came at later hours, but the clock hadn't even rung the six o'clock bell yet. Still, Link always seemed to be sleeping in that same position whenever the vampire would wake up. _Does he find it_ that _comfortable?_ Ganon had never really sat on that sofa. He preferred to use the sofa chair to the right of it, which allowed a good view of one of the big windows facing the back garden.

He had never seen the garden under the daylight, though Link had told him that it was beautiful. He had never wished to live under the sun, but recently, he had started getting curious. He wondered how the green shade of the trees changed throughout the year, how the colour of flowers could be arranged into beautiful patterns, how the skies could burn red. The young man had seemed amazed at the view that he was now able to see from the manor's window and was always bragging about it.

_"You should really try to look at a sunset one day."_ He had said.

Ganon had no interest in seeing the sun rise or set, but Link had this strange ability to create curiosity inside of him.

_"Maybe"_ Was his answer.

Link had smiled with his usual smile. The smile which almost made his own facial muscles contract. He didn't know why the young man was so eager to smile at the vampire's casual remarks, but he didn't mind.

Ganon rested his elbows on the back of the sofa which now seemed to serve as a bed, bending over slightly. He watched the peaceful face of the one sleeping carelessly in front of him, his neck totally exposed. How easy would it be to suck him dry right this moment? It would all be over in an instant. Then all that would be lying in front of him would be a dried up corpse, just like all the others he saw everyday.

That thought made him uncomfortable. Somehow, he didn't want that to happen to Link. It wouldn't be painful aside from the initial punction of the flesh by his teeth. He could even say that dying by his hand was one of the less painful ways to die in the human world. Still, he couldn't shake off the uncomfortable feeling that came along with that thought.

Kotake came into the room, carrying a platter with food. She walked around the sofa to look for Link, finding him fast asleep.

"I knew he was going to be here." She said while putting the platter on the small table, not far from the sofa.

"Is he giving you any trouble?" Asked Ganon.

"Not really." She answered. She and her sister had been shocked when they had learnt of the vampire's decision to let his prey walk around the manor, but they had gotten used to it. The young man's company had been surprisingly enjoyable, though his sleeping habits left to be desired. "He does make the days a bit more fun."

_Fun?_ Well, as long as the sisters were not bothered then it would be fine. Ganon reached out his hand towards Link and gently flicked him on the forehead.

"Wake up sleepy head."

Link slowly turned his head towards the ceiling and opened his eyes, seeing the vampire looking down on him. He smiled.

"Morning" He said.

"Morning to you. I'm the one who's supposed to sleep at this time. Your food is here."

The young man stood up quickly and thanked Kotake for the trouble. He then patted the free space on the sofa to his left, indicating that Ganon should sit down.

"Humans enjoy their food more with someone next to them." He stated. Ganon always seem to react more when Link mentioned humans, and he had developed a tendency to use it to his advantage. And just as usual, the vampire nodded and did as Link wanted. The young man felt slightly guilty for seemingly manipulating Ganon in this way but the warmth that he could feel next to him as a result of it was worth the small guilt. He then started to eat his food.

Ganon never talked while Link ate. He never really seemed to start many of their conversations. He just seemed to...observe him. And today was no exception.

He watched the young man wolf down his food. _I'll never understand human tastes._ He thought. One crumb of bread stuck to his lips, but Link didn't seem to notice, too focused on the rest of his food. The vampire had felt those lips once, when Link had come crying to him in confusion. He had tried to make him feel better but it had only backfired. The young man had acted normally after that, but there was still a hint of sadness in his eyes sometimes. He still remembered how they felt. They were softer than he had expected, but still quite rough, as ones lips would be when they had been drained of most of their blood.

_"It doesn't work...If only one person is in love. Both parties have to feel the same way. Otherwise...It's just...painful, for the one who feels something."_

This was the reason why Link had been sad. The gesture had hurt the young man, though he still couldn't clearly understand why. The thing that he understood, was that he could not kiss the young man again until they had "mutual feelings" in human terms, otherwise Link would be hurt again. _What a shame..._ He thought.

Before he had time to be surprised about his own train of thought, he noticed red skin around the lips that he had inadvertently been watching. The young man had stopped eating, blushing uncontrollably.

"Ganon." He said. "I know you like to observe me but could you... stop staring so much?" _Especially at my lips._ He said to himself.

Ganon looked up, turning his gaze away towards the fireplace. "I apologize, I was lost in thought." _What was I thinking?_ He thought. He never used to get lost in thought this way, and his mind had seemed to have gone to dangerous places. He glanced at link from the corner of his eyes. It wasn't just his thoughts which had started to become dangerous, the young man himself was dangerous. He claimed to not be confused anymore, but the confusion which had left Link had made it's home in Ganon's mind. The young man started to change him. That much, he could tell. He didn't know whether that was a good or a bad thing.

 

But he couldn't stop it anymore.


	14. Preparations of Light.

 

He had been careless.

He should have known to be careful. The army had changed, though he still couldn’t quite understand what caused it.

His legs were unable to hold his weight anymore. He was seeing red, his body bleeding in more places than his muddled mind could count. _Humans sure invent some dangerous things._ He thought. He looked at the ground in front of him. Multiple arrowheads were scattered around the marketplace where he was sitting. Normal arrowheads were of no threat to him, but these were different.

_A bomb of light-imbued arrowheads huh?_ The light in them was weak, but these wounds would require quite a lot of blood to heal. His mind was in a muddle. He needed blood. Now. He searched around him for any human life, in vain. He had never felt so empty of his own blood. Was this how Link felt after he fed on him?

Link… He would give him blood. Without thinking, Ganon teleported directly to the manor. Arriving in the living room, in the comforting heat brought about by the burning fire, he wobbled towards the sleeping man on the sofa. He had to wake him up.

Why?

Why did he have to wake him up? He was the powerful one here. He was the one who gave the orders. He had a right to suck Link dry if he wanted. He could just pounce unto the young man and take as much blood as he needed. He reached out towards the frail neck with his right hand, but shifted towards his cheek at the last moment. Blood ran down his arm, causing it to drip on Link’s face.

He woke up, eyes widening in horror at the sight in front of him. He rose up as quickly as he could, unable to take his eyes off the bloodied man in front of him. Blood was dripping from multiple places in his body, creating a small pool of the red liquid on the carpet. Link ripped his shirt open and pulled it to his left, exposing his neck further.

Driven by his instincts, Ganon knelt down and bit on the young man’s neck.

He managed to regain his senses before he drew too much blood, but he had drawn such an amount that Link had ended up unconscious. His arms were locked around Ganon’s head, his right hand gripping onto the red hair even without consciousness to guide them. _When did he do that?_ Link always seemed to find a way to engage in physical contact. Though he never understood the reasons behind it, he felt a strange feeling of comfort. He lifted the young man and carried him up the stairs, into his bed, as delicately as he could, having to insist to break the young man’s embrace.

_Maybe…_ He thought.

Maybe the reason why Link always insisted on physical contact was because he also felt the comfort that he himself felt.

He looked at the sleeping man. Was it possible? Could a vampire and a human really share the same emotions and feelings? He always thought of humans as alien. Completely different species, with foreign emotions and logic. If they could, how much emotions did they share? What emotions could Link teach him?

Did he want him to teach them?

Hyrule castle was busy. It always was. It became even livelier when she had come back. No one had known where she had gone for the past few years. She had made sure of that. Now, they had power. They had a leader which could provide their army with the strength to win, to finally end this one-sided reign of terror.

_I should be the one who instils fear in this relationship Ganon._

She couldn’t do much. That was not her role. She had to help the chosen hero, wherever he was now.

“Your highness.” A guard had come unto the entry of the balcony upon which she was standing, observing the streets of Hyrule town, waking up along with the morning light. “We have followed your instructions and managed to locate the location of the Vampire’s keep.”

Zelda smiled. _I’m coming for you._

Link woke up. He felt as if he had been sleeping for years. Ganon had never taken that much blood before, and somehow that worried him more than anything else. How long had he slept? He looked at the clock on the desk opposite his bed. It was two in the afternoon. He really had slept for hours.

He headed towards the living room, passing in front of the vampire’s room as usual. He stopped in front of the door. Ganon was surely sleeping inside. Was he okay? Had he managed to get enough blood to heal his wounds? He knew of the vampire’s healing ability, but worry knows no logic or reasoning. He wanted to just open the door, see his face, just to reassure his troubled mind. His left hand got inches away from the handle before he stopped.

_I’ll wait._ He thought. He didn’t want his worry to dictate his behaviour. It wasn’t much, but he wanted reassurance that he still had some control over himself. He followed the steps down to the living room, heading towards where he had slept the night before. The pool of blood which he had briefly seen was not gone, removed by the skills of the two witch sisters. Koume came into the room, greeting him with a smile.

“How is he?” He asked. Slightly angry at himself that this question was the first thing that he had managed to ask the woman.

“He is fine. Light can weaken him, but ultimately, the only thing which can kill him is-

“The master sword.”

Koume nodded. “It seems that the light princess may have returned to the kingdom, which may be why the army suddenly increased in effectiveness. Things are going to get slightly harder from now on.”

Zelda, the light princess. Link had seen her once, when he claimed the master sword. As he went for his training, it was said that she had also gone away herself, to become stronger. He had felt safe thinking of her support as he would eventually fight the powerful vampire. But now, he wasn’t sure which side he was on anymore. His sense of duty told him to join her and fight the vampire, but he couldn’t forget.

He couldn’t forget the horror that shook his body to the core as he saw the wounded body that stood over him the night before.

_I’ve got to help_.

That one thought had overpowered any other. Would he be able to pierce that same body with the master sword if he had to? Would he be able to muster enough strength to pierce through the tough flesh, deep enough so that the wound could be fatal?

He heard steps coming down the stone steps. Why was he coming down so early? It was still daylight outside. Ganon stood straight, with a solemn look on his face. He arranged the cuffs of his suit as he called out to the sisters.

“Koume, Kotake, they’re here. Prepare yourselves.”

“Who?” Link asked, looking up at the vampire. But Ganon didn’t look down towards him, too concentrated on the sight outside the window. _So that’s how it looks in sunlight._ The thought quickly passed through his mind. Kotake brought him his black cloak and mask, his protection from the sunlight.

“Zelda and her army.” He answered while wrapping the cloak around him.

Dread filled Link’s mind. Ganon was going out to fight. To fight the one who had managed to damage his body so much the night before. In plain daylight.

_No, no, no, no._

Ganon wouldn’t die. He knew that much. But they were worst things than dying. And he didn’t wish any of them for the vampire. He grabbed his cloak, causing Ganon to finally look his way. He wanted to scream out. _“Don’t go!”_ But then what? Would he fight Zelda? Would he kill humans? Would he betray everything he stood for just for the sake of the vampire? He felt powerless. He was the hero. The best fighter the kingdom had ever seen. The one that the master sword had chosen.

Yet he was powerless.

Ganon looked down towards the young man’s confused face. He could see his mouth moving, but not forming any actual words. He knew this face. It was the same one that he showed whenever he saw the vampire injured. Worry. How stupid could one man be? To worry about the one who might kill him one day. But then, he wasn’t one to talk. He stopped doubting. He bent down while lifting his mask.

He kissed Link. Letting a smile slip by as he stood back up straight. “I’ll be back soon to enjoy your blood.” He said before leaving through the door.

Link stood paralysed in front of the closed entrance. _Ah, it’s no use._ He thought. _I can’t kill him anymore._

 

 

 

 

 


	15. Attack

Zelda stood in front of the manor. In front of the monster. Her grey horse gave her the slightest advantage in height. He was wearing a black cloak and a white mask, but the ominous aura coming from the dark figure was unmistakable. It was the same one that she felt the day of his first attack on her kingdom, though it somehow seemed gentler than she remembered. _Is it my imagination?_

He wasn’t moving. Nobody was. Countless eyes belonging to Zelda’s soldiers were studying the black figure, fists clenched, ready to attack at any point. But Ganon could feel the familiar sensation overflowing from the crowd. Fear. They were terrified, and though the smug princess tried to hide it, she was too. It felt good to be surrounded by the nostalgic wave of emotion, though one source behind him bothered him.

Link was scared, and for the first time in his life, he didn’t like being the source of that fear. Link’s job was to be a good meal, to sleep, and to smile. He would not tolerate any other behaviour. Ganon waited. The less time he could spend fighting in the sun, the better. If he could drag this fight on until night time, he would be the victor. Zelda drew her bow. She was going to lead the attack. Light was coming out of the arrow-head.

_So you really are the one behind all the little tricks._ Ganon thought as he looked at the determined look on the princess’ face. The light of the sun combined with that of the arrow was blinding, but it wasn’t anything that he couldn’t dodge. He deduced that their strategy was for the soldiers to distract him while the princess dealt the major blows. It would be a foolish plan in the night, but the brightness of the sun burnt his eyes slightly. _This might be a bit of a pain_. He thought as he gestured towards the manor.

Two small figures on brooms jumped out of their observatory on the first floor, coming to a floating stop on the two sides of the vampire. Zelda cursed slightly under her breath. She knew that she wouldn’t be able to kill the vampire, she wasn’t here for that. This was a statement. Something to show that humanity wouldn’t just stand by idly without a fight. It was all she could do while her kingdom was waiting for the hero to come back. She released the arrow, aiming directly at the monster’s head. Kotake flew down, creating an ice coating over the arrow by a single wave of her hand. Zelda looked at the arrow now laying on the ground due to the excess weight, then looked up. Ganon was gone.

She heard a scream to her right. One of the soldiers next to her had his head stuck between the monster’s large fingers. Drops of blood splattered on her dress as the man’s head was crushed. Dread fell inside of her. She knew this was going to happen. She had led soldiers into the den of a monster. They had known what would be the consequences of such a mission.

She thought that she had known.

Link saw the blood spill from the window, and he was shocked by his own naïveté. Ganon was a murderer. It should have been clear to him. That was the fundamental reason why all of this charade has started in the first place. Ganon was killing people, and so he needed to be killed. Had he forgotten? After the vampire would wake him up, complaining as he always would, he would watch him eat, they would talk for hours, Ganon would eat and then…he would go out and kill people.

Did he think that by ignoring that fact all would be fine? That not thinking about it would make all of the killing non-existent? He clenched his fist. He had been foolish. Oh how blind he had been. He had gotten so caught up in this game of love that reality had seemed so far away, but now it hit him full on. He rushed to the basement where his sword was still sealed. He kicked, punched, he screamed trying to break the barrier surrounding it. But it was in vain.

He rushed back up, looking behind every door, every piece of furniture, for any weapon that would be of any use to him. The screams kept resonating through the open windows, as if tormenting him for his choice. He had to do something, anything. Frustration built up as he kicked down a door on the second floor of the manor, leading to an array of various weapons. It was surely the accumulation of the weapons that Ganon’s victims had on them as they were captured, but Link did stop to think of the meaning behind the collection. He grabbed the long sword and dashed towards the stairs leading down.

Zelda was losing, she could tell. The moral of her soldiers dropped with every death. But at least the trip had not been in vain. She had managed to land an arrow in the vampire’s right shoulder, slightly limiting his movement. It wasn’t much, but it was enough for what she wanted to do.  Still, she wanted more. She would not be completely satisfied until the vampire was grovelling in pain on the floor in front of her. This feeling only grew with each drop of blood that flew around her. She drew her bow once more, aiming for a moment when the vampire’s guard would be down. Fortunately for her, the mask and the wound made his less responsive on his right side. As soon as she saw opening, she released her arrow. A smile slowly formed on her face as it made its way towards the oblivious monster, but quickly turned into a frown as a sword ripped it in two. She knew the person who did it, and that knowledge only made her angrier.

“What is the meaning of this, Hero?” She said, looking as dignified as the situation allowed her to. Ganon turned around, eyes widening in surprise. He couldn’t understand why Link had come to the battlefield. The hero stood silent, eyes focused on his sword, as he sorted out his feelings.

“I believe I asked you a question.” Said Zelda.

Link turned towards Ganon, then turned again to meet the princess’ eyes.

“This battle is meaningless. The vampire is mine to deal with.”

Zelda frowned once more. “You disappear for months, then protect the very monster you were trained to defeat from a serious blow, then dare to tell me to leave you in charge of stopping his massacre?”

“I do.” He answered.

“Then get your sword and kill him. Right now.”

“I can’t. My sword is trapped in a barrier.”

Zelda closed her eyes. She could feel a clump of dark energy under the manor. She broke it, her rage fuelling her powers. She lifted her hand, the sword appeared in front of it, floating. Link grabbed the familiar halberd.

“I will ask you once more. Kill him now.”

Link met her gaze with determined eyes.

“I can’t.”


	16. I wouldn't mind.

The whole mountain was still as the hero stood before the princess, his eyes filled with determination. He had just disobeyed one of her direct orders. She had not liked it.

‘You can’t?’ She repeated. ‘What kind of nonsense is this?’

Her mount started to get agitated, feeling the tension in the air. The remaining soldiers were focused on the two humans, almost forgetting the presence of the vampire who was looking down at the young man before him with surprise.

‘I can’t kill Ganon.’

There was silence, then the sound of Zelda’s voice.

‘Then may I assume that you relinquish your duty as the Hero of Hyrule?

-No.’ He answered.

Surprise crawled unto the princess’ face but was quickly chased away by distrust.

‘What are you planning?’ She asked.

Link looked at the master sword in his left hand. Then, as if he had finally made his decision, he lifted the blade up in front of him, pointing towards the sky.

‘I’ll seal him.’ He finally stated.

Zelda’s grip on her reins tightened. ‘You do realise what this implies don’t you?’

Link nodded. He knew fully well the long-time effects that such a ritual would have on his soul and body. Still, he couldn’t see any other way.

‘Are you ready to swear to do the deed before your life runs out?’

The hero planted his sword in the ground, falling on one knee.

‘I swear.’

Zelda looked down to the grounded man in front of her. The master sword in his hand emitted a subtle light. The proof that it still deemed link to be worthy of his power. It would probably be impossible to find another person who could wield the sword to its full potential like he could and defeat the monster. She couldn’t afford to bet on the possibility of finding a replacement, not when the lives of her people were at stake.

She gritted her teeth. It seemed that she had no choice. ‘Fine.’ She said. ‘But if you happen to die before keeping your oath, I will not be as courteous in our next life.’

Link nodded, and after the two of them shared a look, she turned her horse around, not able to remain a second longer on the mountain. Her soldiers followed her clumsily, leaving the couple and the sisters in silence.

No one broke that silence, even as Link stood up and headed towards Ganon, sword in hand. The vampire flinched slightly at the sight, but quickly remembered the young man’s statement. He had nothing to fear from him…yet. So, he let him bury his face just under his chest and wrap his arms around his waist silently. The two sisters looked at one another and came to a mutual understanding to leave the two men alone.

Ganon simply watched the young man, unsure of what to do with his own arms. The blood flowing from the wound in his shoulder reached Link’s right arm, causing him to tighten his grip further.

‘Don’t...’ The human finally broke the silence. ‘Don’t kill humans anymore.’

Ganon sighed, putting his hands on the young man’s shoulders. ‘Let’s talk about this later. Come back inside with me.’

But Link didn’t let go, gripping the vampire’s cloak in his fists instead.

Ganon sighed once more, then bent down to slide his right arm around the young man’s leg to lift him up, causing him to temporarily let go of the cloak to hang on to the vampire’s neck instead.

‘Does it really matter now? I thought you were going to seal me.

-Not now.

-Why?

-Because I’ll miss you.’ He whispered.

Ganon, slightly surprised by Link’s honestly, attempted to lighten the mood.

‘If you say things like that it will make me want to eat you in another way.’ He said while grinning thinking of how Link would react.

The young man buried his face in the vampire’s neck, his nose poking him through the cloak.

‘I wouldn’t mind.’ He said.

Ganon stood clueless for a few moments, not having planned for this response. ‘Let’s…just…go inside.’ He finally said, feeling glad to be wearing mask.

*****

‘I still can’t believe you managed to make me agree to such ridiculous conditions at that time.’ Said Ganon. He could feel agitation growing in a nearby room. Ravio and Ruto were surely getting impatient, but he wouldn’t let them interrupt their time together. Time itself seemed to already take a guilty pleasure in doing so.

Link took his hand away and signed with a concerned face.

_Do you regret it?_

The deal was simple. Link and Ganon would live together until Link’s life came close to its end. That would be when Ganon would be sealed. In sealing him, Link soul had become linked with the vampire’s. As such, every time that the hero would be reincarnated and got close to recovering his past memories, Ganon would wake up once more. And so, the cycle was created.

Of course, it wasn’t easy to convince the stubborn vampire to follow Link’s reckless ‘solution’, though the promise to always have the opportunity to drink the young man’s blood without having to go through centuries of mediocre meals seemed to be the excuse that Ganon needed to end years of persuading. At the time, he hadn’t known what this continuous sealing would do to Link, more than regretting it, he felt stupid, and slightly guilty. If this continued, what would he lose next? His sight? His hearing? His sense of touch? Yet Link never complained or showed signs of wanting to end the cycle. And here he was, wondering if the one who got the better end of the deal if he had any regret. He really was stupid. His stupid, stupid, lover.

He stretched his hands towards Link’s cheeks, pinching them so hard that even the resilient hero showed signs of pain.

‘You say the stupidest of things sometimes.’

He let go of the red cheeks, letting the young man show an embarrassed smile.

‘Don’t ask any more stupid questions.’

Still smiling, Link grabbed Ganon’s right arm, raising and lowering his own right fist to form a yes.

‘At least you understand.’

 

 


	17. Ravio

‘Time’s up !’

Ravio burst out onto the balcony, much to Ganon’s displeasure, but the shopkeeper didn’t care. He walked straight up to the vampire, putting himself between him and Link.

‘We need to talk.’ He said. He looked behind him. ‘Link, if you don’t mind…’

Link smiled and pat the shopkeeper’s head slightly as he walked away. The familiar sensation filled Ravio with a wave of warmth, and he was glad for his hood which still covered his face, as it allowed him to hide the vulnerable expression he was probably wearing right now. The young hero went into the main office to find Ruto, sitting on the sofa with a stern face. He had a lot of explaining to do.

‘Link was attacked today.’ Said Ravio.

‘I saw the damage. I’m surprised at how easy it seems to be for lowly monsters to attack this office.

-The monsters were a distraction.’ Stated the shopkeeper. ‘Someone teleported behind Link and stabbed him in the back.’ He paused. ‘You wouldn’t happen to know anyone who could do that would you?’

Ganon frowned. ‘I hope that you’re not insinuating that _I_ did it, are you?’

Ravio let out a small laugh. ‘If there’s one thing I know it’s that you would never do that.’

The vampire leaned against the railing of the small balcony to think. There was one person that came to mind. ‘If it is the one I’m thinking about then he’ll be dead by tonight.’ He said with a serious expression.

Ravio looked at Ganon’s face and smiled. ‘See? You would never hurt him. If you could, my lives would have been so much easier.’

The vampire looked towards the smiling Ravio. ‘Do you hate me for Link’s situation?’

The shopkeeper’s smiled dropped. ‘If only I could, that too would make my existence so much easier. I may not have inherited the hair and the power, but I do have some memories of my past lives, even if they are slightly hazy.

-Oh?’ Ganon raised an eyebrow, putting on his mischievous smile. ‘Don’t tell me you’re also in love with me?

-Don’t say disgusting things. That’s a feat only Link can manage.’

The vampire laughed, then pulled down Ravio’s bunny eared hood. ‘It’s refreshing to hear such words from someone with the same face as him.

-Just because we were twins doesn’t mean that we have the same personality. Even our hair colour is different.

-And I’m afraid I have developed a preference for blonde hair.

-Thank you for the compliment.’

Ruto had a hard time getting her head around Link’s story, but it seemed to support Ravio’s, along with adding a few details. According to their story, one of the hero’s reincarnations happened to be twins. One with the same hair colour as the lucky parents, which was named Ravio, and one with unusually blonde hair, named Link. Link was the one who recovered all of his past memories and had the strongest bond with the master sword. Still, Ravio inherited a part of the hero as well, obtaining a smaller, but undeniable link with the sword. They both remembered the day in which Link reunited with the master sword very clearly, and yet they did for completely different reasons.

It was a joyful day for Link. Perhaps growing up as a twin had been hard for him, as he was overjoyed to be able to call himself ‘special’, ‘different’. To Ravio, it was the day his eyes opened up to the fact that him and his brother were, in fact, two different entities. The flood of hazy memories that flooded his dreams night after night did not help. In his dreams he was himself, yet he was someone he had never been. He couldn’t understand the emotions he was swayed by, and he couldn’t understand why Link had decided to follow their origin. He knew how much Link cared for Ganon. Even if he couldn’t understand it, he knew the reasons why the hero had chosen to create such a vicious cycle.  But he didn’t care for Ganon as much as he cared for his brother. The little amount of lingering affection for the vampire that he inherited from his previous lives didn’t even come close to his love for the one who was born as his other half.

He remembered the day his brother left the family home for good, heading towards the faraway manor on top of the mountain. He was unable to convince him to stay, but had found a bit of comfort in knowing that his brother would surely be very happy by _his_ side. But that comfort flew away in his next life. They weren’t born as twins again this time, but he knew of Link long before the hero himself could remember anything. Perhaps was it because of the sheer different in the amount of memories that each had to recall.

He had searched everywhere for his other half. Wondering how he would react once he remembered, longing to hear his voice once more.

But he was never able to hear Link call his name again.

The Link that Ravio was reunited with had lost his voice. Unable to communicate by sign language, the shopkeeper had to ask him to write down his words.

That was the moment when reality kicked in.

Link was destroying himself. Every cycle took away a part of him forever. As he walked back to his shop after the meeting, nearly bumping into every passer-by, only one phrase resonated in his mind.

_‘I’ve got to stop this.’_

He turned around without a warning, startling two young women walking past, and headed to the library. He knew what he had to do. He had to find a way to break Link’s reincarnation cycle.

That day, he swore a silent oath to himself. And he had fulfilled that oath. It had ended during his previous life. The life immediately before the one he was living now. And yet, he still didn’t know what to do with it.

‘Link told me.’ Said Ganon. ‘About how to break the cycle.’

Ravio clenched his fists. ‘And what are you going to do about it?

-It’s not my decision to make. It’s up to Link, and it’s up to you.’

Ravio stayed silent. Ganon sighed, and headed back inside to the main office. His broad stature wasn’t missed by the two friends on the sofa who immediately looked up at him. He walked up to Link and bent down to kiss him, much to Ruto’s shock.

‘I will come back here tomorrow. I have some business to take care of at my manor tonight.’

He gave Ruto an arrogant look, not unaware of the way she had been looking at his lover, to which she immediately answered with an angry expression. He teleported soon after, leaving the three of young adults to catch up.

As he arrived in his living room with the blazing fire, he was greeted by Ghirahim, who had sensed his presence arrive.

‘Welcome home Master. Did you enjoy your stroll?’

Ganon didn’t bother answering. ‘Where were you before I left?

-I was out shopping master. Is something the matter?’

The vampire’s blood began to boil. _What a bad liar._ He thought. He gestured to a chair. ‘Sit.’ He said in a cold voice. Ghirahim refused the offer, stating that there was no need for him to sit down while he could be pouring the vampire some tea. Ganon’s eyes changed colour, being one of the many signs of the rage contained inside the vampire that his servant could see oozing out from his body. Ganon repeated himself in a stronger tone than he had the first time.

_‘Sit.’_

 


	18. Promises

_‘Sit’_

Ganon’s voice sent shivers down the spine of his servant, who couldn’t help but show a slight grin. _This is it._ He thought. _This is how the great Ganon should be._ This was the Ganon that he had grown up to fear with every fibre of his being as he read the legends.

‘Did something happen?’ he asked. Thinking that Link had died from his injuries.

‘Link got hurt by someone.’ Ganon answered. ‘I need to find who it was so that I can make sure that they never get close to him again.’

He looked closely at Ghirahim’s expression which showed a subtle sign of shock. He probably wasn’t expecting Link to be alive. That was all the proof that the vampire needed. He reached to towards his servant’s neck before being face with an empty chair.

Ghirahim had teleported.

Ganon cursed and teleported himself back to the small office as quickly as possible, but Ghirahim’s sword was already creating a hole in Link’s chest. The vampire grabbed him by the neck and slammed him against the wall next the exit door, ignoring the panicked Ravio and Ruto in the background. As he saw his servant’s overjoyed smile at his deed, rage took over him, causing him to break Ghirahim’s neck. Dropping the body on the floor, he breathed in deeply to try and calm himself down before going to Link’s side. The hero would be fine, the master sword was safely on his back, though he could tell by the amount of blood that the wound had closed too quickly for it to be a good sign.

Link watched his friends move their mouths in concern, but he felt a big change inside of him. He didn’t want to tell them. He knew how they would react if they knew, and that was one thing he didn’t like to see. Unfortunately, that wasn’t something he could act his way out of. In the silence, he signed.

_I’m sorry. I can’t hear anything you’re saying._

He saw the dreadful expressions slowly shaping on his companion’s faces. He had seen them coming from a mile away, but it still hurt to be the reason they were appearing. Ganon turned around and kicked the sofa, splitting it in half. Link could feel vibrations in the air, the vampire had probably been shouting obscenities as he was doing so. Ruto had her hand covering her mouth, with tearful eyes, while Ravio rest his head in his hand. He then stood up and moved his mouth. As Ganon reacted, Link assumed that he had started a conversation with him, and whatever it was, Ganon had not found it pleasant, as both seemed to have started shouting.

Ruto moved closer, taking Link’s right hand in her own and squeezing it tight. Ravio gestured towards him, and as he did, Ganon looked his way. Not knowing what to do with the lack of information, Link simply smiled as he always did, bearing a slight hope that it might change something. The vampire showed a brief painful expression, then let his head down, slightly opening his mouth to utter a single word. Ruto squeezed tighter, looking away from Link. She spoke a few words, then rose up, heading towards the exit. Without once looking behind her, she opened the door and left. Ravio also headed out, but went towards the room, leaving the lovers alone.

Link and Ganon stood still for a moment, neither knowing exactly what to do. The vampire was the first to move, heading towards the young man, he kneeled to the ground to pick up the master sword which had fallen out of its sheath and placed it firmly in Link’s hand. Confused and terrified by what he had guessed what the subject of their discussion, he looked up to meet the vampire’s eyes, who showed a brief sad smile before signing.

_Do you remember our promise?_

Dread filled Link’s chest. He had been right about the discussion. He rose up on his feed, quickly nodding his head in denial. As he turned away from Ganon, the vampire tried to make him turn his way so that they could talk. After a few unsuccessful attempts due to Link’s speed, Ganon wrapped his arms around the young man’s neck as best as he could with the great height difference. He bent down and whispered Link’s name in his ear. Though Link couldn’t hear the sound of Ganon’s voice, he recognized the familiar tingling in his ear, and he felt great sadness in the fact that he would never be able to hear the vampire call his name again.

A tear fell down his cheek. He had known that it would have come to this eventually. The cycles couldn’t continue forever. The fact that their story had lasted this long was already a miracle in itself. And it was time for the miracle to end.

He turned towards Ganon, his hands shaking. They had promised each other, during their previous life, when Ravio had found a way to break the cycle. They had sworn half-jokingly, but Ganon was completely serious at this moment. He was the courageous one in this situation, someone had to be. Not knowing what to do, Link rose up his free right hand, raising his little finger, his index and his thumb. It was something that he had said countless times before, yet it seemed to never be able to fully express the feeling behind this gesture. Ganon smiled, kissed him and returned the sign.

_I love you too._

The vampire took a step back, allowing for more room between him and Link, keeping eye contact. Maybe that would help Link, maybe it would just make it harder, but he wanted to be able to choose what he saw in this moment. He saw the hero raise his sword into a battle stance. Ganon smiled, but Link didn’t return it. The young man bit his lip as he attacked the vulnerable vampire, stabbing his heart.

Ganon fell forward. Link caught his shoulders as he did, turning him unto his back and putting the large head on his lap. Blood oozed out from the mouth of the semi-conscious vampire, still wearing a smile. Link knew what he was doing, Ganon would leave without much pain. The ‘hero’ was the only one feeling atrocious pain in his chest. He gently stroked the vivid red hair, watching the signs of breathing slowly lessen as he did. It wasn’t easy, as he had to wipe his tears at regular short intervals to keep his vision from blurring. Then the breathing stopped.

Link froze for a moment. His entire being rejecting reality. Unfortunately, no matter how still he stayed, movement would never return to the man in front of him. He pressed his forehead against Ganon’s and started crying once more. His mouth opened, and he could feel his vocal chords contracting painfully, he was probably screaming. Ravio came back into the office, surely taking Link’s screams as a sign that it was his turn to act. Link hadn’t noticed him, still leaning against Ganon. The shopkeeper grabbed the master sword’s helm and pulled it out of the vampire’s body. Noticing the movement, Link looked up to his little brother, and showed the best smile that he was able to in this situation.

Ravio remembered the day that he announced his findings to the couple. They hadn’t seemed to be as shocked as he had been upon his own discovery. Link had more knowledge of the master sword than Ravio had, perhaps he had imagined all along that this sort of extreme measure would be necessary. They had made an agreement. Ravio would have to be the one to do the deed when the time came. The shopkeeper couldn’t allow anyone else to bear the burden that he deemed to be his.

Ravio lift up the sword, the only tool that could end the vicious cycle that it, itself had created. Tears streaming down his face, he attacked.

‘What about Ganon?’ Ravio asked after Link agreed to his condition.

_We made a promise._ He signed. _We have no idea how Ganon would react to my end, and I don’t think anyone would like to find out. I also don’t want you to be in any danger when you’ve done it. I’ll deal with him before you deal with me. That’s if we ever end up in that situation._

Link had mimed a laugh then, but that laugh was nowhere to be found as he held the body of the one he had loved for so many years. Blood came out of the half-opened mouth before Link finally dropped unto Ganon’s chest. Ravio fell on his knees as he let go of the master sword, tears rolling into his opened mouth.

It was his turn to scream.

*****

‘You have a visitor Majesty.’

Zelda excused the announcer, she had known of his presence for a while now. She welcomed him into his quarters and felt sadness as he handed the master sword over to her. She looked at the little man in purple robe.

‘Were they able to be happy in the end?’ She asked.

‘I hope so.’ Answered Ravio.

Zelda looked at the master sword. In the end, Link hadn’t been able to change much of his destiny. In the end, the hero still defeated the villain. But he had found happiness. He had found it in a place where no one would have dared to look for it.

For that fact alone, he was, in her eyes, the bravest of them all.

 

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I just want to thank all of my readers who have shown support towards this work.  
> As this is the first time I have ever publicly shared my writing I was really worried about how it was going to go but I have received only great feedback from equally great people. I'm glad that this is how I have started my fanfiction adventure and I hope to see you again in another story.


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